Two Moms Are Better Than One
by SourPatchKid1985
Summary: Santana and Brittany Lopez-Pierce lead a very happy and comfortable lifestyle. They are both very much in love, however have very different views of raising their children.
1. Chapter 1

"Mama, mama it's time to get up," Santana Lopez- Pierce heard through the pillow burying her head from the incessant sunlight blaring into her bedroom. She felt as if she had just said goodnight to her wife only seconds ago.

She tried to ignore the voice, to get one more minute of sleep that she was usually deprived from, but it was no use. The boy was more persistent than the alarm clock resting on her night table. Groaning, she rubbed her head against the sheets trying to shake the tiredness from her body.

"I'm up, I'm up," she repeated, cracking her eyes open to reveal her mismatched dressed son standing in front of her. She chuckled at the site, leaning her back against the headboard before opening her arms.

The adorable sandy blonde climbed his way up to his mother before snuggling into her embrace. "I dressed myself," he stated proudly, his sparkling chocolate eyes looking to his mother for approval.

"I can see that. Where's mommy, did she leave yet?" she asked, kissing his forehead.

"Yup, and she took Lily with her," he said not bothering to hide his excitement. The five-year -old loved his baby sister, but often felt she received all the positive attention, especially by his mother Brittany.

Santana rolled her eyes at the information. Ever since Lily had been born, Brittany had developed an unnatural attachment. Santana couldn't even hold her daughter without receiving some type of correction from her wife. It was unhealthy and the one thing they argued about constantly.

"Alright, let me up kiddo. We have to get you to preschool," she said, helping him on the ground before heading to her dresser.

"I'll go eat breakfast. Mommy left us muffins," the little boy said running out of the room.

"Don't eat too many Jake," Santana called, throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt which was a change from her usual business apparel. After throwing her hair into a ponytail and applying a bit of makeup, she headed for the kitchen where she knew her son was making a mess.

"Mama I like the pumpkin ones," Jake said through a mouthful of cake, crumbs covering every inch of his body and the floor.

Santana made her way to her son, lifting him into a standing position on the chair. She gently wiped the crumbs from him before lifting him up. "Sorry buddy, looks like we need to change your outfit," she said knowing Brittany would kill her if she let him leave the house looking like a crumby hobo.

"Okay," he said, crumbs flying from his mouth onto his mother's face.

Santana winced. Boys were gross.

* * *

><p>After dropping her son off at preschool, Santana headed to her wife's bakery. She pulled into Treats For Your Sweet with a smile. The place had a decent amount of people in it for a Tuesday morning. She walked in to find a few regulars enjoying a muffin or pastry while reading the newspaper. She smiled politely before turning to her two friends who co-owned the bakery behind the counter.<p>

"Morning San," Quinn said, handing her a cup of coffee. She looked as tired as Santana felt.

"Morning, where's Britt," she asked, waving to Rachel who was taking someone's order.

"In the back with Lily I think," Quinn said, shooting a knowing smile to Santana. Quinn was one of their best friends so of course she knew of the ongoing argument about Lily between Santana and Brittany. She continued with, "San, don't say anything. How many arguments can you have about this?"

"I just don't get it. I don't get it Quinn. She wasn't like this with Jake at all. How can I not say anything, it's affecting our marriage at this point," Santana said in a heated whisper, not wanting the entire shop to know her business.

"It's your call," Quinn stated, giving her a wink before helping Rachel put someone's order together.

"I personally think it's affecting the business as well," Rachel added, in her usual overconfident voice.

Sighing, Santana made her way to the kitchen area to find her wife working on a wedding cake. Lily was sleeping in her car seat which was place on top of the workstation. Brittany's eyes lit up at the site of her wife.

"Morning baby," she said, putting her pastry bag on the table before embracing Santana in a hug.

"Morning Britt," Santana said solemnly, returning the affection. She glanced at her daughter, before bringing her gaze back to Brittany.

Brittany saw the distraught look on her wife's face. "I thought I'd give you the day off and take Lily with me to work," she tried, hoping her wife would accept her response.

"Baby what was the point of me taking time off from work to help with the kids if you won't let me help with the kids. I turned down a major case to be able to do this babe," she said gently, not wanting to fight.

"You are helping though. Just last night you fed Lily dinner, gave her a bath, and put her to bed for me," Brittany said, breaking their embrace so she could finish up her cake and further avoid the topic of conversation Santana was about to bring up. She picked up the bag and continued her work.

"Yeah all under your watchful eye Brittany. You should have been watching TV, or taking a bath, or doing something with Jake," Santana argued, grabbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "I am a good mother Santana. Don't try to make me feel that I'm not."

"Who said anything about you not being a good mother? You're too good of a mother to Lily, that's the problem," Santana said, grabbing Brittany's free hand to show her she wasn't trying to fight.

"Oh and I'm not to Jake?" Brittany said, hurt by the fact that Santana accused her of neglecting their son.

"I didn't say that. Brittany, baby you need to see things through my point of view. I can't look at, touch, or say anything about Lily without you worrying or yelling. That's a problem. Is it because of the miscarriage," Santana tried asking, wincing at the pained look on Brittany's face.

Lily was supposed to have a twin brother, but he had passed away during Brittany's delivery. Both women were devastated. Lily was nine months old now, and Santana had put up with this behavior long enough. She needed to somehow get through to Brittany, even if it meant talking about things that were a sore subject.

Brittany continued to decorate the cake, ignoring what Santana had said. She forced the tears away from her eyes, trying to concentrate on her work.

Santana let out an aggravated sigh. Once again, she was going to get nowhere on this subject.

"I guess I'm gonna go to the food store before I have to go get Jake. Are you gonna be home for dinner?" she asked, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Yeah, I have a couple more cakes to do, and then I'm gonna head out. I'm pretty tired today," she said, putting the pastry bag down.

Santana wanted to snap and tell her why she was tired, but she just smiled instead. "Alright, well I see you at home. You sure you don't want me to take Lily?" She tried, already knowing the answer.

"Nah, she's just sleeping now anyways. I'll be out of here in a couple hours. Quinn and Rachel are here so everything will run smoothly," she said, leaning in for a kiss.

Santana reciprocated, pressing her lips gently against her wife's. She walked over to her daughter, staring intently for a moment before kissing her finger and placing it against the baby's cheek.

"Oh you better bring Jake home some cookies for after school. He made sure to let me know we were out before I left this morning," Brittany laughed, knowing how much of a sweet tooth her son had. Luckily he was constantly active to keep his metabolism up.

"He's gonna turn into a cookie. We all are. I'm surprised we all aren't fat with this business of yours Britt," Santana joked, glad the mood was lightened.

"We've got killer metaphysics baby," Brittany smiled, playfully grabbing Santana's behind to prove her point.

Santana laughed, one at the fact that she understood what her wife meant from years of practice and two at how cute she was. She kissed Brittany one last time before heading out. She grabbed an assortment of cookies from the front, placing a chocolate chip one in her mouth before leaving.

* * *

><p>"Jake, I told you to turn that down buddy. Mommy and the baby are sleeping," Santana called from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner.<p>

"Actually we're up," Brittany said, entering from the kitchen staircase holding Lily. She placed her in her highchair before peeking over Santana at the stove. "Smells great, whatcha making?"

Santana smiled, turning her head to peck Brittany on the lips. "Just some chicken marsala," she said, swatting Brittany's hand away as she reached for a mushroom. "You're gonna burn yourself."

Santana stared at Brittany's pout for a moment before sighing. She carefully reached in the pan and grabbed a mushroom before putting it in her wife's mouth.

"Yum, you're the best cook ever," she stated happily.

"And you're the best baker ever," Santana replied, kissing her one more time before going back to her meal.

Brittany smiled, kissing Lily on the head before walking into the adjoining family room. She took a seat next to her son, wrapping an arm around him. "How was school bud," She asked, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Okay," he said solemnly, his eyes focused on SpongeBob. He shrugged his way out of Brittany's embrace before standing in front of her. "I'm going to wash my hands."

Brittany stared after her son, a hurt look displayed on her face. Santana saw the interaction from the kitchen. She felt sad for both her wife and son. As Jake entered the kitchen to wash his hands, Santana followed his every move. She noticed the way he looked towards Lily as he passed her, it wasn't pleasant. Brittany followed him in, leaning against the counter as if she didn't know what to do. The baby began to fuss and Brittany immediately went and picked her up.

"I got her Britt," Santana said, gesturing her eyes towards Jake. She went to take the baby from Brittany's arms but Brittany pulled back.

"She's fine, I got her," she snapped, shooting angry eyes at Santana. She turned to Jake. "Baby you wanna come with me to work tomorrow? I'm making your favorite, peanut butter cookies. You can help me," she smiled, trying to show Santana that she could do two things at once.

"Awesome!" Jake yelled, nodding his head up and down like a bobble head. He hugged his mom's side before running back into the family room.

Santana stared at her wife in shock, before rolling her eyes. "He has school tomorrow Britt," she said, clearly annoyed.

Brittany's smile turned to a frown. "Oh, well one day won't matter. It's only preschool Santana."

Santana shook her head in disbelief before going back to her meal. She violently turned the knob to the stove off before dumping the chicken onto a plate. She then took the plate and slammed it on the kitchen table, making the juices from the meal slide off. "Dinner's served."

Brittany and Lily watched Santana throw her tantrum from the side before finally joining her at the table. The meal was eaten in complete silence between the couple, them occasionally striking up conversation with their children. When Santana was finished, she practically threw her plate into the sink before grabbing Lily from her highchair and heading upstairs.

Brittany instantaneously jumped from her seat. "What are you doing?"

Santana turned from halfway up the steps. "I'm giving my daughter a bath. Why don't you finish eating and help Jake with his," she said, her eyes daring Brittany to take a step forward.

"I'll help you, I'm finished anyways. I'll help you with Lily's and then you can help me with Jake's," she tried with a look of panic across her face. She began taking deep breaths.

Both their eyes locked in a deep stare down. Brittany felt an overwhelming amount of fear and guilt while Santana just felt anger. Lily looked back and forth between her parents before reaching her arms out to Brittany and said "Ma ma". Brittany winced, knowing how much it was probably hurting Santana.

"Here, take her. I'm going out for a while," Santana said, handing her daughter off to Brittany.

Brittany took Lily and turned to Santana who was bypassing them down the stairs. "Where are you going?" she asked with almost a childlike tone.

"Out."

And with one final slam of the front door, that was all Brittany heard from her wife for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>"I'm so freaking pissed," Santana yelled from Quinn's living room couch. She had jumped in her car and contemplated going to a bar, but figured Quinn's house had as much liquor as one and it would be free.<p>

Quinn smiled, carrying two Margarita glasses in from the adjoining kitchen. She handed one to Santana before sitting next to her. "San, she's obviously not doing it to hurt you. It's something much deeper than that. You know how hard she took it, losing James," Quinn said, grabbing her friends hand for comfort.

Santana scoffed. "And I didn't? Just because she carried our children doesn't mean they are not mine," she yelled, rather yell than cry because that was what she was on the verge of.

"Santana you know Brittany would never think that. She practically tells people you impregnated her when she talks about your children. I just think you're both sensitive about the subject and that is why you keep fighting. I mean after it happened, I've never heard either of you bring it up," Quinn stated.

"I try and she either avoids talking about it or blows up in my face for even mentioning it. I'm afraid if I push her too hard she might have a nervous breakdown or something," Santana admitted, slowly sipping on her drink. She wasn't really in the mood to drink anymore; she just wanted to fix things with Brittany.

"I'm afraid if you don't talk about it that might happen anyway," Quinn distressed, wincing at the painful look on her friend's face.

Before Santana could respond, Quinn's husband who she was currently separated from walked in with their kids.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I thought I told you to knock before you come in Puck," she yelled, obviously having marriage woes of her own.

"I would have knocked Quinn if the kids didn't run ahead," Puck said frustrated, emphasizing his wife's name.

Santana stood up to greet her godchildren. "Hey you two, come give me hugs," she said smiling, trying to ease the tension between two of her best friends.

"Aunt Santana," they yelled excitedly, greeting her with hugs and kisses.

"Guys let's put your stuff in your room. I'll be right back San," Quinn said, before helping her kids put their suitcases away. She glared at Puck on her way out of the room.

Puck scratched the back of his shaved head awkwardly. "Hey San, I was just dropping the kids back to Quinn," he said, sending his friend a smile.

Santana returned the gesture before going over to hug him. She was not going to be mean to him just because Quinn and him were having problems. That would be like them having to pick sides if she and Brittany ever split up. He hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek before pulling away.

"Don't worry Puck, things will work out," Santana said trying to comfort her friend.

"Yeah, we're not you and Britt, San," he smiled, shaking his head at the vision he had in his head at their perfect marriage.

Santana shook hers as well, replaying the argument her and Brittany had had only hours ago. "Trust me, no one's marriage is perfect."

* * *

><p>"She just doesn't get it Kurt," Brittany said through the phone, sitting against the headboard of their bed. After Santana had left Jake threw a tantrum demanding that Brittany go find his mother. It took her an hour and a half to calm him down and convince him to take a bath and go to bed.<p>

"I know Britt," Kurt said not wanting to upset Brittany. Although Brittany was the one who usually confided in him, he knew better than to mess with estrogen. He liked to stay neutral between his friends not wanting to upset either of them.

"I mean you think she would be glad I'm taking care of Lil, the less stress on her. Once she goes back to work, that's where her focus is gonna be, where it needs to be," she said, mostly only convincing herself.

"I think you need to talk to her Britt," Kurt said, wishing he could be there to hug his friend.

"I can't talk to her," Brittany said, tears making their way down her pale cheeks. She wiped them away, refusing to cry.

"Why can't you talk to her?" Kurt asked confused.

Brittany sniffled, "Because she's gonna want to talk about," she started but shook her head, "Kurt I have to go, Lily's fussing," she said, hanging up before Kurt had a chance to answer.

Meanwhile, Lily was peacefully sleeping in her bedroom. Brittany slid down the bed, burying her head in her pillow to muffle the sobs making their way out. Whenever she was alone, she allowed herself to breakdown. She clutched her hands to her stomach as she wept.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Around midnight, Santana decided to go back home. Once Puck had left and the kids were sleeping, Quinn let loose to Santana about how much Puck had ruined their marriage. Being the good friend she was, listened and comforted her as much as she could before she felt she needed to go fix her own problems. The drive home was spent talking to herself in circles about what she would say to Brittany before she decided to just wing it.

When she walked into her house, she hadn't expected anyone to be awake. As she made her way through the dark hallway, she heard a faint noise in the family room. A flicker of light played against the wall as she moved closer and when she walked in, she was surprised to see her son lying on the couch watching late night infomercials.

"Jake, what are you doing up honey?" she asked, going around the couch to sit next to her son. She perched herself on the edge before gently running her hand over his flushed cheek.

When Jake noticed his mother, he leapt up and crushed her in a giant hug. "I didn't think you were coming back," he cried, burying his head into the crook of her neck.

Santana's heart broke when she felt his tears running down her neck. She wasn't even thinking when she left earlier. Usually she and Brittany didn't fight in front of the kids. She embraced her son tighter, gently rocking them back and forth. "Baby I would never not come back. At the end of the day I'm always gonna be right here with you, Lily, and mommy," she told him, moving her head so she could kiss his cheek.

Jake pulled himself from the embrace before making himself comfortable on Santana's lap. "But you and mommy were yelling and you didn't even say goodbye," he said, little sniffles making their way out as his bright brown orbs stared up at his mother's.

"I'm so sorry Jakey. You're right, we should always say goodbye before we leave the house." Santana was at a loss as to what to say to her son because she couldn't go into great detail of why she left; he was only five-years old. "Can you forgive me?" she continued.

"Yes," and with a slight pause he continued, "Are you and mommy gonna get a divorce like Aunt Quinn and Uncle Puck?" he asked innocently, wiping his tear filled eyes.

Santana had not been expecting that. She didn't even know he knew what a divorce was. But kids weren't stupid; they pick up on a lot more than parents thought. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head smiling down at her son. "You are so perfect bud. Your mom and I are the luckiest mommies in the world so how could we ever get a divorce. Mommy and I love each other very much and you don't need to worry about us okay sweetie?" she asked, caressing the soft skin of his cheek.

Jake nodded, happy with his mother's answer. The pair sat in a happy silence for a few moments before Santana lifted her son from her lap.

"Alright buddy it's time for bed. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow and you're gonna need plenty of rest if you're gonna be mommy's helper," she said, wrapping her arm around him and leading them to the stairs.

"Okay," he yawned, following his mother up to his room.

* * *

><p>After saying goodnight to her son, Santana gently closed his door halfway before walking into the room next door. She smiled at the sight of her daughter sleeping peacefully in her crib. With a kiss to the forehead, she stared longingly at Lily before making what seemed like the walk of shame to her own bedroom. She stared at the closed door contemplating what she was going to do. If she knew Brittany, which she did, she would be waiting behind that door with her arms crossed and an angry pout on her face. Brittany could never go to bed angry.<p>

Walking in, she was surprised to find it fairly dark with the TV off and Brittany sleeping. The light from the moon helped her find her way about the room. She quietly walked to Brittany's side of the bed and sat on the edge. She right away noticed her wife's gloom expression in her sleep and tear stained face. Again, her heart broke at the sight.

"Britt," she whispered, gently running her thumb in circles against her wife's cheek. She hated making Brittany cry.

Brittany felt a presence and the gentle call of her name awakened her from her restless sleep. Her blue eyes opened to find Santana staring at her with worried eyes of her own. She let out a deep sigh before raising her body to lean against the headboard. "Hey," she whispered back to her wife.

"Baby I'm sorry about before, I shouldn't have left," she said, raising her hand to run her fingers through Brittany's soft blonde hair. She stared into Brittany's eyes and for once in her life she couldn't read what her wife was feeling.

"It's okay," Brittany said, leaning into Santana's touch. She wasn't in the mood to carry on with their fight and she wasn't ready to talk about why she was acting the way she was either. She looked to Santana with genuine eyes and said, "I'm sorry too."

Santana sensed that Brittany wasn't ready to discuss the fight or any of the fights they've had over the past months. She knew she was babying her in a way, but Brittany had been her baby since day one. She nodded her head in a silent agreement before leaning over to press her lips against Brittany's forehead. "I'm gonna get ready for bed," she whispered as her lips separated from Brittany's skin. Her wife nodded, her big blue eyes showing appreciation from Santana backing off about what needed to be discussed.

When Santana finished her nightly routine, she walked out of their bathroom to find Brittany in the exact seated position she had left her in. She was haunted by the fearful look her wife displayed. Obviously even though they weren't talking about it, Brittany was still thinking about it. Deciding that they both needed some type of comfort, she got in bed as close to Brittany as she could. "Lay back down Britt," she whispered, tugging her wife's pajama shirt so she complied.

Brittany scooted down from her sitting position to lie on her side face to face with Santana. Their eyes locked and for moments only quiet breathing could be heard. Santana smiled at Brittany before placing her hand against her wife's hip. She gently pushed forward, moving Brittany onto her back. She followed the movement, leaning her upper body over wife's before placing her lips against Brittany's over and over again until both their breathing picked up. Pressed against one another, Santana slowly moved her lower body against her wife's as she laid kisses down the side of Brittany's neck, lightly biting at the skin every third or so kiss.

Unbeknownst to Santana, Brittany's eyes remained opened towards the ceiling. She waited until her wife began kissing down towards her chest before gently pushing her away. "San, I'm not really in the mood," she said innocently, not wanting to hurt Santana's feelings. She winced at the distraught look on her wife's face.

"Okay," she sighed, rolling off Brittany and onto her back.

"San I'm sorry, I'm just, I'm exhausted," she said truthfully, leaning on her side to grab Santana's hand. She didn't want Santana to think it was because of their argument. She wanted nothing more than to show her love to her wife, but she was worn out from crying and hating herself.

Santana accepted the gesture, turning her head to look at her wife. She noticed the dark circles underneath Brittany's eyes, her pale complexion even lighter than normal, and her handhold frail and weak. She knew that whatever was going on with Brittany was beyond her being able to help. She knew yet she couldn't help but continuing to try and get through to her. She closed her eyes to will away the tears that wanted to come out. Taking a deep breath, she looked to her wife who was staring so innocently back at her. She knew Brittany loved her, and it was killing her that she couldn't be the one to make things alright.

"Come here," she whispered, wrapping her arm around Brittany and pulling her to her chest.

Brittany snuggled into Santana's side, closing her eyes. She hummed in appreciation when Santana began rubbing circles on her back. She knew Santana was wearing thin, and sooner or later she was going to have to talk about what she had been feeling lately. But right now she was glad to feel the warmth and comfort her wife provided. "I love you Santana," she whispered, briefly looking up to catch her wife's eyes.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>Like most mornings, Brittany woke up before Santana. Normally cheerful and energized, on this particular morning she felt dim and drained. She gently removed herself from the embrace as not to wake Santana up, and quietly grabbed her things to take into the bathroom. She turned the shower on before exiting the bathroom to make sure her children were still sleeping before she began to get ready for work. She smiled at the site of Jake tangled in his blankets, his mouth wide open catching flies. Shaking her head, she made her way to her daughter's room, standing in the doorway. While her heart fluttered in her son's room, it felt heavy like it always did when being in her daughter's. She constantly fought with herself not to be reminded of how there should be two cribs she should be looking at instead of one.<p>

Meanwhile, Santana stirred in her sleep, the sound of the shower waking her from her dreams. She normally was a heavy sleeper, but the stress from the night before willed her awake. She took a moment to stretch and yawn before getting out of bed. She made her way to the bathroom, hoping to catch a glimpse of her wife, but was met with an empty room. Disappointed, she left their room to find Brittany standing in the doorway of their daughter's room.

"Britt, what are you doing babe? The waters gonna get cold," she said approaching her. When Brittany didn't answer, she placed a gentle hand on her wife's shoulder. "Britt."

Brittany jumped at the touch, shaking her of her dark thoughts. She turned to find her wife staring at her like she had ten heads. Not being able to even fake a smile, she just stared at her wife with a blank expression. "I was just checking on the kids before I went in," she answered before trying to move past Santana to go back to their room.

Santana stopped her, placing her hand against Brittany's chest. "What is going on?" she asked, coming off harshly but she only felt worry and panic.

Tears that she constantly forced away began to build up making her turn her head from her wife so she wouldn't see.

Santana grabbed her chin, forcing Brittany's head back in her direction. "Baby talk to me," Santana pleaded tears of her own beginning to fall.

Brittany forced her eyes away from Santana, not wanting to see the disappointment and hurt she had caused her wife. "I need to get in the shower, I'm gonna be late," she whispered, choking back her emotions. She finally braved a look to Santana's face. She winced at the expression on her wife's face before going back into their bedroom.

"Britt," Santana whispered through tears, the words barely making it out of her mouth as she watched her wife walk away from her.

* * *

><p>"Okay so we need to roll the dough in little balls and place them on the cookie sheet," Brittany explained, smiling at the excited look on her son's face. After her grueling morning, she decided she needed to show Santana that she wasn't heading to crazy town. It took everything in her, but she left Lily at home with Santana so both parents could spend quality time with their children. She had been at work for two hours and had called Santana every twenty minutes to check on them. In her opinion, she was doing well because her head was telling her to call every five minutes.<p>

"Like this mommy?" Jake asked, pointing at the three peanut butter balls placed on a baker's tray.

"Excellent baby, that's perfect," she encouraged, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

"Oh my goodness, it smells delicious in here," Rachel interrupted as she entered the kitchen, winking at Jake.

Jake returned the smile. "Thanks Aunt Rach, mommy and me have been baking up a storm," he said innocently, repeating what he heard his mother tell his mama on the phone.

Both girls laughed at his cuteness. "How's it going out there?" Brittany asked, taking one of the full trays to the oven.

"It's pretty slow right now. Puck just showed up so I'm giving them their privacy," Rachel explained, narrowing her eyes at Brittany to let her know they might have to intrude.

"That reminds me, I need to call San," Brittany said completely missing Rachel's signal. She patted her son on the back before walking to her office. "Rach can you watch Jake a sec?" She called back, not waiting for her to answer before she closed her office door.

Rachel shook her head. Both her friends were crazy. "I left Broadway for this?"

* * *

><p>"Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man," Santana started, giggling at the smile on Lily's face. They had had the perfect morning together, minus the constant phone calls and texts from Brittany. Snuggled together on the couch, Mickey Mouse Playhouse was playing in the background while Santana and Lily enjoyed one another's company. "Bake me a cake as fast," she started but was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone.<p>

"Yes Brittany?" she sang, not even bothering to check the caller ID. She knew it was her wife.

"Hey, how are things going?" Brittany asked trying to sound casual but anyone who was on the phone would be able to hear the worry in her voice.

"Fine babe, we're just watching some TV before Lily's nap," Santana said trying to be patient, but the twenty minute updates she had to give were getting on her last nerve. But she did feel that this was an improvement so she was going to do it Brittany's way for a while. "How is the little man doing?" She asked, smiling at the thought of Jake in the kitchen. The boy loved food way too much.

"Really well, I may just have to fire Quinn and hire Jakey," she laughed, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet up on her desk.

"What'd Quinn do?" Santana asked, smiling down at Lily. She snuggled her way onto her mother's chest, her eyes slowly opening and closing as she watched Mickey.

"Puck's here and according to Rachel, Quinn's not happy about it," she said.

"She really needs to get a grip. Yes he cheated on her, but she either needs to move on or accept it and try to salvage their marriage. She can't keep being hot and cold with him," Santana said, happy that they were actually having a conversation rather than talking about how she was taking care of Lily.

"Yes but she has a right to be hot and cold San. I don't know what I would do if you cheated on me," Brittany said, lowering her voice incase Quinn was nearby. She didn't want her to know they were talking behind her back.

"Well you'll never have to worry about that baby," Santana said sincerely.

"You either babe," Brittany replied, smiling at the thought of their relationship. They have been through thick and thin together and she knew both would never ruin that.

"K well our little angel just fell asleep so I'm gonna go put her upstairs," Santana said quietly.

"Alright. Don't forget to keep the baby monitor with you at all times. And check on her even if she isn't crying," Brittany said panicked.

Santana sighed, so much for the nice moment. "I know Britt," she said.

"I love you Santana," Brittany said, feeling the need to express that she wasn't saying all these things because she didn't trust Santana. It was more for her than anything.

Santana smiled, "I love you too Britts. See you when you guys get home."

* * *

><p>Brittany smiled, feeling more at ease after her phone call with Santana. She made her way passed the baking room, smiling when she saw Jake and Rachel working together. Deciding Rachel could handle Jake a few more minutes, she went to the front to check on Quinn.<p>

"Whatever Quinn, I'll pick the kids up later," Puck said before storming out of the store. Obviously things hadn't gone well.

Quinn sighed before grabbing a dish cloth to wipe off the counter. Brittany saw the empty store and hoped Quinn and Puck hadn't scared the customers away.

"You okay?" Brittany asked, standing in front of the countertop.

Quinn looked up, startled to see Brittany. "Yeah, he just wanted to drop off some money for some of the bills," she said, her green eyes glazed over.

"Quinn you have a right to be angry," Brittany said, thinking back to the conversation her and her wife had just had. "He has a lot to make up for," she continued.

"I know. I just, I think I can forgive him. But I can't trust him anymore Britt, I don't trust him," she said with tears pouring out of her eyes.

"Aww Quinn," Brittany said, running around the counter to embrace her friend. She held onto her as Quinn cried into her chest.

* * *

><p>"Honey we're home," Jake called out, throwing his backpack on the bench by the front door.<p>

Brittany laughed, following him down the hallway and into the family room and adjoining kitchen. She spotted her wife and daughter crawling around on the floor in what seemed like a game of tag. Jake found this to be exciting and joined the pair, tickling Lily's feet as he crawled behind her. Brittany watched from the side with an amused grin.

"Hey guys, we missed you," Santana said when they finished, kissing her son's forehead before getting up to join Brittany. "Hey baby," she said, pecking Brittany on the lips.

"Hey," she smiled, hugging her wife. She held on tightly, feeling so thankful to have a woman like Santana.

Santana hugged back, a little confused at the sudden affection. Lately Brittany had been very standoffish so she welcomed the embrace rocking them back and forth gently.

"I'm hungry," Jake said, interrupting the pair.

Brittany lifted her head from Santana's shoulder in shock. "How can you be hungry? You practically ate out my entire bakery," she laughed.

Jake simply shrugged his shoulders before going back to playing with his sister.

Santana laughed, bringing Brittany back into her arms. She watched her children as the two hugged, smiling at the difference in Jake's attitude. Just one day with him having Brittany to himself had made him happier and nicer to his sister. This was a good change. She felt Brittany's body becoming limp against her. Pulling back, she saw the tiredness Brittany displayed.

"Why don't you go take a hot bath babe, I'll order a pizza and clean up a little," Santana said, running her hands over Brittany's flushed cheeks. She was surprised when Brittany nodded, not have expected her to leave Lily's side since she hadn't been with her all day. Maybe things were changing for the better.

Brittany picked up Lily, kissing her on the head before placing her back with Jake. She patted his head as she walked by, heading towards the staircase. When she made it to their room, she decided she was too tired to even make it to the bathroom so she kicked her shoes off before getting in bed.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

"I understand that Mr. Anderson but I am not connected to your case right now." Santana had been on the phone for forty-five minutes with a previous client who was trying to convince her to represent him in a current case. She was flattered by the request yet annoyed that he kept insisting. "I get that, I do but I'm on a maternity leave right now," she continued while rolling her eyes. Sometimes she wished she could be like her high school self where her aggressive attitude would have only given her a two minute conversation.

"Mama you're missing the movie," Jake called from over the couch where him, Lily, and Brittany were snuggled together watching Finding Nemo. It was both his and Brittany's favorite film.

"Mama has a work call baby, you need to be quiet," Brittany whispered, using her hand that was wrapped around him to rub his arm.

"Fish!" Lily yelled out, sounding more like shish, laughing and pointing when Dory showed up on the TV.

Brittany laughed, tickling her little girl's chin before kissing her forehead. "Right baby girl, fish," Brittany said.

"Quiet Lily, mama's on the phone," Jake scolded, glaring at his baby sister because Brittany was giving her more attention. She only giggled at him, causing him to become angrier. "I said shut up," he yelled, reaching over to pinch her lips between his fingers, making her cry.

Santana saw the action from where she was standing and immediately went wide eyed. "Mr. Anderson, I'm sorry I have to go," she said before hanging up and heading towards the couch.

Brittany pulled Lily back from Jake. "Jacob Anthony Lopez-Pierce get up to your room now!" she yelled, lifting him up by the arm. She glared at him before turning her attention to Lily. "You're okay sweetie, you're okay," she cooed while rocking Lily back and forth as the little girl sobbed into her chest.

Tears began to make their way down Jake's face as he slowly walked to the staircase. Santana followed him, gently grabbing him by the shoulder to stop him. She knelt down and rubbed her thumb against his cheek. "Buddy why did you do that?" she asked.

"Because mommy told me to be quiet but Lily didn't have to," he cried before attaching himself to Santana, burying his head into her chest.

Santana lifted him into her arms, letting him cry as she rocked him back and forth. She glanced at Brittany to see her doing the same with their daughter. She knew what Jake did was wrong, but she understood why he acted out. "Baby, go upstairs and me and mommy will be up in a minute," she said setting him down, her heart breaking at the site of his teary face.

Brittany had managed to calm Lily down and put her back on the couch where she snuggled sleepily into a pillow. It was almost time for her afternoon nap. Feeling like she was on a mission, she headed towards the stairs ready to punish Jake. But before she made it to the steps, Santana grabbed her arm.

"Can we talk in the kitchen for a second?" she asked, pulling Brittany towards the room before she could answer.

"What's the matter San," she asked, taking a seat at the island.

"While I don't agree with what Jake did, I kinda understand why he did it," she started, feeling like she was standing before the court. That phone call had her all messed up.

Brittany squinted in confusion. "How would you like it if I pinched and twisted your lips to shut you up?" she asked in what seemed like a malicious statement, but really was meant as a serious innocent question.

Santana chuckled at the question. "Babe, he did it because you let Lily get away with whatever she wants," she started.

"I do not," Brittany interrupted, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Baby, come on," Santana smiled, sending her a knowing glance.

Brittany smiled back guiltily. "Well Lily is a baby and Jake knows right from wrong," she argued.

"Lily knows what be quiet means Britt. I know you don't realize you do it babe, but you ignore Jake a lot of the time when he's trying to get your attention and you give it all to Lily. That is why he is acting out," Santana said, reaching over the counter to grab her wife's hand.

Brittany pondered the information, thinking back on what had happened. She had told Jake to be quiet and then she had laughed when Lily spoke out. Frowning, she realized that she does treat Lily differently sometimes. She knew it was because of her guilt, but she couldn't tell Santana that because it would spiral into a whole other conversation she wasn't ready for.

"I have to go apologize," she said, rising from her seat.

Santana moved towards her, wrapping her in a hug. "You want me to come with?" she asked, rubbing her hands up and down Brittany's back.

"Nah, stay with Lily," she said, leaning up to peck Santana on the lips.

Santana tightened her hold on Brittany, turning her simple peck into something more. She pressed her lips back to her wife's, running her tongue against Brittany's bottom lip. "I miss you," she breathed against her lips, moving her hands down to caress Brittany's bottom.

Brittany's breath quivered into the kiss, one because the words Santana had spoken were turning her on, and two because they affected her on an emotional level. She felt bad because she and Santana hadn't been intimate in quite some time and she knew it was because of her. She would turn down all of Santana's advances and she knew that even though Santana told her it was fine every time, it was hurting her wife. "I miss you too baby," she replied truthfully, because even though she was the one that stopped it, it was hurting her too.

Santana pressed her forehead against Brittany's locking eyes with the gorgeous blonde. Moving her hands from Brittany's bottom, she gently grabbed onto her wife's face. "Then how about tonight we spend some time alone?" she asked hopefully, yet managing to pull off a sexy smirk.

Brittany gulped, feeling her palms begin to sweat and her body shake. She could only smile and nod, yet she felt an overwhelming amount of nervousness throughout her body. She began to think about the "what if's". What if she started thinking about James and she ruins the moment with crocodile tears and whimpers, not the good kind of whimpers. She couldn't think of a time in the past nine months where she didn't go to sleep thinking of him lying dead across her chest. Every time she tried to relax, she was haunted with the experience and what Santana was offering would normally be relaxing to her and she didn't want to create yet another daily function that made her think of her deceased baby.

Santana noticed the hesitation on Brittany's face. "Come on Britts, it's been like a really long time, a really long time," she admitted breathily, tucking a blonde strand behind Brittany's ear.

Nodding her head, she shyly smiled to her wife. "Okay."

* * *

><p>While Brittany fixed things with Jake and put Lily down for her nap, Santana headed to the bakery upon Quinn's request which was a text message that said "Come now." She pulled into the parking lot expecting it to reek of chaos, but to her surprise it was quite empty. Sighing, she got out of her car and walked into her wife's bakery.<p>

Quinn was seated at one of the tables with two cups of coffee ready to be consumed. She waved Santana over as she took deep breaths to keep calm.

Santana sat across from her, eyeing her friend with confusion. "Did someone die?" she asked, not understanding the urgency of her having to be there. Everything looked in order.

"I want to sleep with Puck," she blurted out, wincing as soon as the words left her mouth.

Santana narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I know, I know that sounds horrible but it's all I've been thinking about for the past week," she admitted.

"And the whole marriage part?" Santana asked, not understanding where Quinn was going with this.

"I don't know. I don't know if I can trust him again. But I've been missing him and even though I hate him right now, I can't help but want him," she said, grabbing her hair in distress.

"Well I guess that's pretty normal Quinn. I mean you have been married for six years and you've known each other since high school. It's normal to miss him and want him but that doesn't mean you should act on those feelings right now. It will only hurt you and confuse him," Santana said, reaching over to grab her friend's hand.

"It's just so hard to explain. It's like I miss him in that way. That intimate way where we're both being truthful about our feelings. That probably doesn't make any sense," she said, rolling her eyes at her statement.

"No, it makes perfect sense. Believe me I understand," Santana said, thinking back to the kitchen.

Quinn eyed her friend. "What do you mean?"

Santana began to redden not wanting to share the intimate details of her marriage or lack thereof, but wanting an opinion other than her own. "Quinn if I tell you something, you promise you'll keep it to yourself?" she asked, still contemplating whether or not she should bring it up.

"Of course San," she said, sending her a smile of reassurance.

"Brittany and I. Well we haven't," she started, feeling the embarrassment creep up further.

"Just say it Santana," Quinn said.

"We haven't really had sex since Lily's been born," she rushed out, refusing to look into Quinn's eyes.

"San, are you serious?" Quinn asked trying not to sound completely shocked. She knew Santana and Brittany had been having trouble, but she didn't think it was this serious.

"I mean I know it's because of whatever's going on with Britt, but I can't take it anymore. She barely lets me even hold her," Santana confessed.

"Wow San, this is something you need to talk about with Britt. You need to force her to talk to you at this point. She's really taking a turn for the worse, and it's not only affecting her anymore," Quinn pushed, wanting nothing more than for her friends to be happy.

"I feel like I'm losing her," Santana said, so soft Quinn barely heard her.

* * *

><p>Santana walked into her house ready to once and for all solve things with her wife. She was glad to see Brittany sitting alone on the family room couch watching TV. In the car, she decided she needed to approach Brittany as she would with a client, not letting her emotions factor in how she would react to things.<p>

Brittany smiled at her wife's presence. "Both the kids are napping. And Jake and I are back on good terms again. I think that he liked being right. I wonder where he gets that from," she joked.

Santana sat next to her wife. "Britt we need to talk," she said, ignoring her wife's previous statement.

Brittany narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Okay," she said, moving back on the couch to face her wife.

"I need you to tell me why you have been so distant lately. Why you have taken it upon yourself to basically raise Lily alone, why you have been beyond tired and have thinned into almost nothing," she began, trying to compose herself from bursting into tears as she spoke.

"San," Brittany interrupted, trying to stop the conversation from happening, but Santana held up her hand.

"No, let me finish. You walk around as if you're dead half the time. You barely let me kiss you, let alone touch you without you tensing up," she continued, looking into Brittany's eyes but trying not to break at the site of her falling apart.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry," she sobbed, hearing the words she had been dreading for so many months. Her sobs became hiccups, almost to the point of hyperventilating.

Santana stared at her wife, feeling so many emotions at once. She couldn't bear to see Brittany so upset. She gently took Brittany's hands and pulled her body into her lap, letting the woman sob into her. Tears streamed slower down Santana's eyes, feeling the need to comfort Brittany. She gently rubbed her hand up and down her wife's back. "Talk to me Brittany. This has gone on way to long," she whispered.

Brittany pulled back from the embrace, her sobs silenced but tears remained. She took a few deep breaths before meeting Santana's eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she whispered, bringing her hand up to rub under her nose. "I just can't stop thinking about," she started with a sniffle.

Santana replaced Brittany's hand, swiping her hand under Brittany's eyes to wipe away the tears. "What baby?"

"It was my fault we lost him. How can you even want to touch me after I killed our baby?" she said, the hatred she felt for herself finally showing outside of her mind.

Santana's eyes bugged out at her statement. "Baby what? How could you say that Brittany? You didn't do anything to hurt the babies. It just happened. It was not your fault," she assured, grabbing Brittany's face to make her look her in the eyes.

"I should have gotten a C-section. Every day all day I think about what I could have done to keep him alive. I do want to be with you Santana and want to be intimate, I do, but my mind won't shut off to even get into that state. I just, I hate myself so much for doing that to our family," she admits, closing her eyes in disappointment in herself.

Santana doesn't even know what to say to her wife. All this time she knew Brittany was upset, but she didn't think her wife was suffering this badly. She pulled Brittany back to her chest. "Brittany I love you so much and no one blames you for what happened to James. The doctors never even suggested a C-section baby so how would that be your fault? These things just happen sometimes and it isn't anyone's fault. Baby why couldn't you have talked to me about this," Santana gently and softly asked.

"I don't know," she whispered, obviously overwhelmed with them finally talking about this.

"Britt is this why you won't let Lily out of your site?" Santana asked, starting to understand the pain that her wife was in.

"I don't want to lose her too," Brittany said with her voice wavered at the thought.

Santana held Brittany to her chest, rocking them back and forth in a gentle motion to not only soothe her wife, but herself as well. Her stomach turned at the thought of what Brittany had been going through this whole time and she felt guilty for not being there. "Britt I think maybe we should set up an appointment for you to talk to someone," Santana quietly suggested, knowing her wife's response would be anything but excited.

"You think I'm crazy," Brittany cried, immediately regretting telling Santana anything. This was what she wanted to avoid.

"Britt of course not. I just think that we need someone outside our friends and family to help us get through this," she said, brushing back Brittany's hair in a comforting matter.

Brittany shrugged away from her touch. "You mean help me get through this. I'm the crazy one, I'm the one ruining our marriage. You've obviously made that quite clear," Brittany yelled, beleaguered by what was suggested. She jumped up from the couch ready to bolt, but Santana pulled her back so she was standing in front of the couch.

With her hand still grasping Brittany's arm, Santana rose from the couch now angered. "You think I'm okay with what happened? That I've just forgotten? You've got a lot of nerve Brittany," she said before ripping her hand from Brittany's arm.

Brittany scowled before walking towards the stair case.

Santana followed hot on her heels. "That's right, run away like you always do. Just avoid what's happening Britt," she yelled.

Brittany whipped her head towards Santana. "You wanna know what's happening San. I'm going to Rachel's for the night. And I'm taking the kids with me," she screamed, starting up the steps but lost her balance as Santana gripped the back of her shirt pulling her off the staircase. She stumbled to regain her equilibrium before glaring at her wife.

"The hell you are. You can go, but you're not taking my kids," she said, angered at not having the upper hand. She hated when Brittany got like this, when she flipped out so she didn't have to deal with her emotions. And it only made Santana angry because she wasn't one to just sit there and be yelled at or told what to do.

The two were locked in a staring contest, neither breaking in an apology or at least a compromise. Heavy breaths could be heard, as if they were about to attack one another.

Knowing at this point Santana wouldn't back down out of pride, Brittany broke the gaze. She took a deep breath before meeting Santana's eyes. "Fine, I'll talk to someone," she mumbled, swallowing hard at the thought of facing her problems.

Santana stared long and hard at her wife, contemplating her next move. Deciding to put effort into Brittany's half assed apology, knowing it was hard for her to even say that, she put what just happened behind her. Continuing to argue wasn't going to help them in the end. Raising her hand to Brittany's face, she gently stroked her thumb against her cheek. "I promise we're gonna fix this baby," she whispered, pulling Brittany to her and pressing her lips against her forehead. "I promise."

Brittany fell into Santana's soothing touch, hoping her wife's words were true.

* * *

><p>A few days had passed and Brittany and Santana had fallen back into routine. Things were still a bit tense between the two, but Brittany had promised Santana that she would look into therapists. In the meantime, Brittany made it her mission to show Santana that she wasn't as bad as her wife thought. She pushed for Santana to look after Lily even though it killed her and made her nutty inside, but she refused to let it show. She figured if she did this for a week or so, Santana would back off on the therapy.<p>

The couple was neatly dressed and standing outside one of their favorite restaurants, waiting for Quinn and Rachel to show. It was decided at the bakery that morning that all of them needed a night out. Brittany reluctantly let Santana's parents babysit for the night after sneaking a binder full of instructions to her mother-in-law on the way out.

Santana leaned against the brick wall of the restaurant, checking her watch every couple seconds in annoyance. "I don't understand how people have problems being punctual. It's not that hard," she complained in a huff.

Brittany took a side glance and smiled at her wife. That statement alone calmed her for the time being. She loved what most people were irked at about Santana. She adored her impatient nature.

Santana caught her wife's smirk which in turn made her smile. She wrapped her arms around Brittany from behind before placing a kiss to her bare shoulder. "You look beautiful you know," she whispered.

Brittany turned in the embrace. "So do you," she said, her smile never leaving. She gently leaned in and pressed her lips to Santana.

"That's for after dinner," a voice interrupted, breaking the two from their intimate moment.

The girls couldn't hide their shocked expressions when they turned to see Puck walking towards them with his hand in Quinn's. Santana narrowed her eyes at her friend; silently asking her what was going on. But Quinn was too distracted by her date to notice.

"Puck," Brittany shouted almost too loudly for in public, before running to embrace her friend.

Puck smiled into the embrace, kissing his friend on the cheek. "Hey Britts," he said.

Quinn finally met Santana's gaze and smiled. "Rachel offered to watch the kids so I didn't want to be a third wheel," she hinted, letting her friend's know that she didn't want to discuss her and Puck in front of him.

Santana glared at her friend before turning to hug Puck. "Why don't you and Britt grab a table? I need to ask Quinn something," she said with a fake smile, ushering the two away before turning to Quinn. "What the hell is this?" She yelled in a whisper.

"It's just dinner San, calm down," she said, refusing to make a big deal out of this. She was still contemplating her relationship with Puck and she didn't need to discuss her concerns with Santana at this moment.

"Quinn this is gonna be so awkward for me and Brittany. I'm just supposed to act like my two best friends aren't currently separated," she asked, waving her hands around in frustration.

Quinn chuckled. "Brittany seems fine with it," she said, pointing her finger at the window where they could see Puck and Brittany in a full on conversation at the table laughing their heads off.

Santana shook her head in disbelief. "You owe me bitch," she said, using the nickname she designated for Quinn. "And Rachel wanted to babysit hey. You two are unbelievable," she said, shaking her head.

Quinn laughed before pushing Santana towards the door. "Behave."

* * *

><p>Santana gripped the steering wheel with her left hand, while the other one rested tightly on Brittany's knee. She had been mumbling in frustration for several minutes before turning to her wife who was watching her with a smirk. "What?" she questioned, not being able to return a smile.<p>

"You barely said two words at dinner," she acknowledged, removing Santana's hand from her knee to hold. She began rubbing circles over her hand, encouraging Santana to tell her what was on her mind.

"Because it was freaking uncomfortable. Can you believe she sprang that on us?" she asked, taking turns to look at her wife and the dark road ahead of her.

"I thought it was a nice surprise. I kept hoping that they would get back together. They're like Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. They belong together," she said, making Santana laugh.

"Nick Lachey is married to another woman now Britt. You need to accept it and move on," she joked, knowing how much their breakup devastated her wife. She made Santana watch the entire DVD set after the news broke.

Brittany laughed, enjoying the fact that they were not having such a serious conversation. Of course their friend's relationship problems weren't anything to joke about, but for once they weren't focused on their own problems and she liked that.

Santana took a moment to look at her wife. She saw the innocence that only someone like Brittany could still possess at her age. Her eyes moved over her wife's body, admiring the beauty she was lucky enough to call hers. Raising their clasped hands up to her lips, she placed kisses against Brittany's hand. "I love you," she said, meeting her wife's eyes.

Brittany's heart melted at Santana's words. She knew how much stress she had put on her wife this past year and she wasn't proud of it. At that moment, she decided she would do anything to make things the best they could possibly be between the two. "I made my own problems myself and I can fix them myself too," she thought before expressing her love back to her wife. "I love you too Santana."

* * *

><p>"Wow, I've missed that," Santana panted as she caught her breath against Brittany' chest, rubbing her hand up and down her wife's bare stomach. She titled her head up, catching Brittany's lips in a gentle kiss after they had made love in not such a gentle way. Of course this wasn't the first romp of the night. The first time was soft and slow, their eyes never leaving one another. The second and third time was a combination of the first mixed with heated arousal. And the last was merely about getting one another off. Once Santana was given the green light, her mind was clouded with one thought. 'Make up for the past nine months,' and she did just that.<p>

Brittany sighed contently, enjoying the post bliss cuddle. That was always her favorite part and what she missed the most about them making love. For some reason, that was when she felt most loved by Santana. The gentle kisses and caresses her wife would give, the honesty that would pour from her soul, or just the look Santana would give her, letting her know that she was her only one. "San," she whispered, removing her arm that was wrapped around Santana so she could sit up.

Santana leaned back, pulling Brittany with her so she laid on her chest. "Hmm?" she asked, brushing back the sweaty locks of Brittany's hair.

"Thank you for being so patient with me. I can't believe that I was afraid to do this with you. I just kept thinking that it wouldn't be the same because you wouldn't be able to look at me the same again after what happened. But tonight, tonight you erased all my fears about that. So thank you," she said with a quiver in her voice. She had felt such love for her wife at that very moment.

Santana pulled Brittany's face towards her, bringing her in for a soft kiss. "Baby I will always look at you like you're the most beautiful person in the world and like I'm the luckiest person in the world. Nothing you do or nothing that happens will change that. You're my soul mate Britt, and we can get through anything together," she said, kissing away the tears that made their way down Brittany's face. Only this time they were good tears.

Brittany leaned forward, pressing her lips to Santana's and never wanting to part. But she did, and with a look of love and admiration she gently asked Santana, "Love me again San."

Santana softly smiled before gently pushing Brittany onto her back and loving her again.

* * *

><p>"I slept with Puck last night," Quinn silently shouted through the phone, clenching her teeth as she waited for Santana's response.<p>

Santana's eyes widened at the statement, pulling her phone away from ear for moment to process the information. She had spent the entire morning cleaning the house, dancing and singing throughout each chore with a cheesy grin on her face. The night before had put her in a damn good mood and not just because she had sex, but because she connected again with Brittany. She was currently relaxing on the couch, waiting for Brittany to return with their kids.

"Well let's hope another Puckerman isn't on its way," Santana joked, surprising both Quinn and herself. But she was in too good of a mood to let it be ruined.

"We used protection San. Wait, you're not mad?" Quinn asked, wondering what alien had taking over her best friend between last night and the present time.

Santana laughed. "I'm not your mother Quinn. But no, I'm not mad. I mean Britt and I want nothing more than you two to work it out. I just don't want to see either of you hurt anymore than you already are," she explained, smiling at the sound of the front door being opened.

"Mama we're home from grandma's. Did you miss me?" she heard Jake call through the hallway.

"Quinn listen, I support you no matter what you do okay?" she said. She briefly listened to what Quinn said, but was more concentrated on Jake running into the room towards her. She smiled as he jumped in her lap, wrapping his small arms around her in a hug. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Lily walking down the hallway towards her.

"Lily can walk mama," Jake yelled with excitement, jumping off the couch to grab his sister's hand as she giggled walking towards her mother.

"Quinn I gotta go, Lily's walking," she said, hanging up the phone before Quinn could even respond.

"Oh my god Lil! Look at my baby," she yelled ecstatically, rushing to scoop her in her arms. Lily, obviously proud of herself, smiled as her mother gushed over her accomplishment.

Of course the proud moment had to be ruined. Following Lily was Brittany, tears streaming down her face and her arms crossed against her chest. Santana looked at her wife confused. "What's the matter baby?" she asked, putting Lily down.

"Lily took her first steps and we missed it. We missed it Santana and it's all your fault. I told you I didn't want to go last night," she yelled, scaring both her wife and children. The tears continued to stream down her face as she angrily stared at her wife. "I'm never leaving Lily alone again," she cried, picking up her daughter and heading upstairs.

Santana stared after her, looking like she had just seen her wife's head spin around and around. She stood there in shock, looking to Jake to see if he had witnessed the same thing. He just looked at his mother and shrugged before going to his toy chest to play with his cars. Santana looked back to the stairs where her wife had gone up. "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

><p>"She's just upset Santana. Anybody would be upset to miss their child's first steps," Mrs. Lopez defended, knowing how hard it was for Brittany to leave her kids the other night. She had been the same way with her children.<p>

Santana sighed, leaning back in her office chair with her feet up on her desk. She had been subjected to her office, Brittany demanding that she stay home with the kids from now on. She told Santana that she wasn't going to miss anymore milestones. So the little progress they made had backtracked. So with Brittany working from home and Quinn and Rachel running the bakery, she decided to go back to work part time to give herself something to do.

"Being upset is one thing, but lashing out and blaming your wife, that's a little much," Santana argued, not understanding why her mother was taking Brittany's side.

Mrs. Lopez laughed. "Honey she loves you," she said.

"She's driving me crazy mom. One minute she's up the next down. She promised me she would talk to someone and I've yet to see her follow through on that," Santana said, happy that she had the kind of relationship with her mother where she could tell her anything.

"Give her time dear. Just continue to be there for her and when she is ready, she'll take that step," she said, hoping to give her daughter some comfort.

"No, you don't understand mom. She needs to talk to someone. And if she's not going to take the initiative and do it, I will," Santana said, having enough of people telling her to be patient. She's been patient enough. After saying goodbye to her mother, she began surfing the internet for therapists.

* * *

><p>"Hey Britt, did you make the cinnamon rolls yet? Puck said he would stop by and pick up whatever's ready," Rachel asked, rolling her eyes at the silence on the phone. "Britt," she asked again with a little annoyance.<p>

Brittany sighed, rushing around the house looking for Jake's favorite stuffed dinosaur that he had lost somewhere. He had been crying on the couch for fifteen minutes while Brittany ripped apart the house to find it. "Sorry Rach, I haven't had time to make them yet," she said distractedly.

"Britt you said you could handle this. Do you just want Quinn to make a batch here?" she asked, shaking her head at Puck who was waiting by the door to leave. He nodded before going in the back to find Quinn.

Brittany lifted the laundry lid and found a dinosaur tail sticking out from the pile of soiled clothes. "Found it," she cheered, lifting it up by the tail in triumph. "I can handle it Rachel. I'm just trying to get in the groove of things. I'll make them right now and get started on that birthday cake I have to decorate," she said, walking back downstairs to give Jake his dinosaur.

"Jelly bean!" he yelled, hugging his mother's leg before grabbing his dinosaur. "Thanks mommy," he said before taking his stuffed friend to play.

"No problem baby. Listen Rach let me go, I have to put Lily down for her nap and then I'll get started," she said, picking up Lily from the floor where she was watching TV. The little girl who is always full of smiles doesn't disappoint her mom when she shoots her a big toothy grin.

"Okay. Call if you have any problems," Rachel said dejectedly. She had told both Quinn and Santana that this wasn't gonna be a good idea.

"Will do," Brittany said and hung up. She looked to her daughter before the mess throughout the house. "Alright little missy. Let's get you to bed so I can do my motherly and wifey, and businessy duties," she smiled, kissing the little girl on her forehead before heading to the staircase. She glanced at the clock on her way up noticing it was already two o'clock. "Oh boy," she breathed out, beginning to wonder if she made the right decision.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Santana walked into the house around 9PM expecting chaos. She was surprised to see the house was pretty much in the condition she left it in, only a few of Jake and Lily's toys scattered around. Usually the house smelled of freshly baked cookies, but today a smell which could only be described as burnt wafted the air as she made her way into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway with her mouth wide opened. Flour covered every inch of the kitchen with various baking tools littered everywhere. The most frightening site was the smoke coming from the oven and Brittany nowhere to be seen. Panicking, she quickly looked for oven mitts before opening the oven door. Smoke poured through the kitchen as she grabbed the trays of cookies from the oven and dumping them into the sink. She turned cold water on before opening the kitchen window. "Jesus Christ," she muttered, taking a kitchen towel to wave the smoke towards the window so the smoke alarm wouldn't go off and wake up the kids.

At that moment, Brittany entered from the staircase, her eyes widening at the site. "Oh my god, I forgot I had a batch in the oven," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. She turned the oven off before putting an oven mitt on so she could dispose of the burnt cookies in the sink.

Santana only shook her head before beginning to clean up the mess of a kitchen. "What were you doing?" she asked with annoyance, scrunching her face in disgust at the gooiness she was cleaning up.

"I was putting away the laundry," Brittany replied with a matching annoyed tone. She had had a long day and the last thing she needed was Santana telling her she was doing something wrong.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Well next time you should finish one thing before you start another. We both know you aren't a multi-tasker," she said, continuing to wipe flour from the counters and floor.

Brittany slammed the cookie pans down into the sink, making Santana look her way. "Shut up Santana," she yelled, having enough of Santana's sarcastic comments.

Santana threw the towel in her hand on the floor before making her way to Brittany. "All I've done the past nine months is shut up Brittany," she yelled, clenching her fists at her side. She would never hit her wife, but she was as the point of anger where something imamate was going to get destroyed. "And you know what, I've had enough," she said.

Brittany's attitude started to falter. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, taking a step closer to her wife.

"It means since you won't take the initiative to go get help, I did it for you. Monday, nine o'clock you have an appointment with Dr. Cohen-Chang," she said pointedly.

"You made me an appointment with Tina? I don't want her knowing our business Santana. How could you?" Brittany yelled.

"Unlike you, I did my research and it turns out our fellow glee cluber is one of the best psychologists in the state. You're going and there is no discussion about it," Santana said, keeping a hard front when inside she was dying. She wanted to comfort her wife, but babying Brittany had gotten them nowhere.

"And if I don't go?" she asked, feeling Santana out. She had had a feeling that her wife had finally reached her breaking point with her.

Santana stared at her wife for a long second, contemplating her next words. She didn't want to say them, but she needed to let Brittany know how serious she was. "If you don't go, I go. For good."

Brittany's eyes widened at her wife's words. Her body crumbled against the counter, tears making their way down her face as she took in her wife's words. She would never be able to live without Santana and she never would want to. Taking a glance at her wife, she noticed her hard exterior was still intact. Sighing, she reached over to grab Santana's hand before she answered, "I'll go."

* * *

><p>Monday morning had come around quicker than Brittany had wanted and yet there she was in Tina Cohen-Chang's office waiting for her appointment. Her legs bounced up and down as she stared at the various diplomas nailed to the wall. She was about three seconds from bolting.<p>

Next to her, Santana held a sleeping Lily while flipping through a magazine. She casually glanced at Brittany every now and then to make sure she was okay. They hadn't really spoken to one another since the incident in the kitchen unless it was necessary, like something involving the kids.

"Well look at you two, McKinley High's sweetest couple" the girls heard, glancing up to see a very grown up version of Tina in front of them. Tina smiled warmly at the couple gesturing with her hands to follow her into her office.

Santana smiled at her old friend before looking at Brittany. "You ready?" she asked gently, a tone she hadn't used since their fight.

Brittany looked at Santana, her bottom lip clasped tightly between her front teeth. She really didn't want to do this, especially in front of someone she had once been fairly close with. But she didn't want to lose Santana and that was the only thing that was pushing her to go through with this. Sighing, she looked pleadingly at her wife. "Will you come in with me?" she asked, her nervousness making her look much younger than she really was.

Santana softened at the look on Brittany's face like she always did when her wife looked at her like that. Standing up, she hoisted Lily to one side of her hip before reaching down to cup Brittany's cheek with her free hand. "Come on baby," she said, grabbing Brittany's hand and leading her into Tina's office.

After making the necessary pleasantries, Tina showed her professional nature and got straight down to business. She had suggested laying Lily down on the couch so that both the baby and Santana would be more comfortable. The couple sat on the other end of the couch with Santana's arm wrapped around Brittany.

"So why don't you tell me about what's been going on Brittany. Santana mentioned a few of her concerns on the phone the other day but of course I want to hear from you," she said, friendly eyeing Brittany from her seat across from them.

Brittany sighed, looking around the room nervously. She felt like she was on display with an audience waiting for her to break down and confess all her deepest darkest secrets. She felt Santana squeeze her shoulder comfortingly, and transferred her gaze to her wife. "I don't know. I don't know what's been going on with me but I want it to stop," she whispered, her eyes never leaving Santana's.

Santana sighed heavily, continuing to rub Brittany's neck and shoulders with her hand to show her she was there for her. She knew this was extremely hard for Brittany and wanted nothing more for them to leave, but she knew that wouldn't do them any good.

"What is 'it' Brittany?" Tina asked, secretly admiring the love the two obviously shared, even though there were some unresolved problems in the marriage.

"The way I am feeling," Brittany said softly before looking down at her hands.

"How are you feeling?" Tina asked calmly, going about her usual routine to get someone to open up to her.

Santana rolled her eyes at Tina's questioning. She felt as if she could have done this with Brittany. But she kept repeating in her head that she had made the right choice to bring her here.

Brittany took a moment to gather her thoughts. She could lie and say she's been feeling tired and stressed because of work and that is why she's been acting the way she was. But that was only part of the truth. Sighing, she glanced at Lily sleeping peacefully at the other end of the couch. A small smile made its way to her lips. She always smiled at the sight of her daughter, but moments later a thought of James would pop in her head.

Tina waited patiently, knowing Brittany was gathering her thoughts, deciding if she really wanted to go through with this. She had plenty of patients that lied to her the first month or so before they got anything accomplished. But that was up to the patient. She could only help them realize they need help, not force them. And once they realize it, they admit it. And that is the first step.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Santana said, interrupting everyone's thoughts. She felt upset looking at Brittany, like she had hurt her emotionally by bringing her here, and didn't want any harm caused to her wife.

She began to rise from her seat, but Brittany grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I feel miserable all the time. I feel like I've let down my wife and my kids and my friends. I'm constantly thinking about how much I hate myself. How much better off everyone would be without me," she began, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Santana let out a soft cry, breaking at the words her wife spoke. She didn't want Brittany to feel any of that pain and resentment towards herself. She didn't understand how Brittany didn't know how beautiful and amazing she was.

"Now Brittany I have to ask because it's procedure. Are you having any suicidal thoughts?" Tina asked.

Brittany's eyes darted up to Tina's. "No of course not," she said.

Tina nodded. "Okay so tell me about some of the things going on in your life that triggered you to feel like this. Have you been stressed about anything in particular?" Tina asked.

Brittany swallowed hard, looking at Santana. She squeezed her wife's hand, nodding at her to take the lead because if she said it, she knew she would breakdown.

Santana took the hint and turned to Tina. "We have two children. A five year old son and Lily here is a little over nine months. Lily was supposed to have a twin. A boy. His name was going to be James," she said, having a hard time saying it herself so she could only imagine for Brittany.

"But during the delivery there were some complications. I've told Britt again and again that it wasn't her fault. But I think she is blaming herself for what happened," Santana said, trying to get it all out without crying.

Brittany looked away, tears slowly dropping from her face.

"Okay Brittany I just want to ask some questions that can be responded with a yes or no answer. You don't have to go into depth unless you would like okay?" she asked.

Brittany nodded, closing her eyes as Santana gently wiped away her tears.

"Are you having these thoughts of self-hated often?" she began.

"Yes."

"Are you often feeling fatigue, loss of appetite, your moods fluctuating, achy joints," she continued, writing down Brittany's answers on her chart.

"Yes to all of them," she whispered, leaning into Santana who was holding her tight.

"From what Santana told me, you feel a constant need to watch over Lily. You need to know where she is at all times, check her breathing, and pretty much have her in your presence," she asked, looking to Brittany for her answer.

"Yeah," she said with embarrassment. Hearing Santana's view of her out loud was mortifying because it solidifies that she had been hurting their marriage. She knew what she was doing with Lily was wrong, but she couldn't help it.

"So Brittany, with what Santana was saying before and from some of the things she's explained on the phone, and from what you've told me, you've been having what I determine from your descriptions, panic attacks," Tina explained, gently smiling at the confused look on Brittany's face.

"A panic attack is usually but not always triggered by something, in your case the trauma you've had from your delivery. With panic attacks, people begin to have sweaty palms and shake and probably feel as if the world's about to end," she continued, grabbing a pamphlet titled "Panic Attacks" and handing it to Brittany.

Brittany nodded, knowing that when she felt the need to take Lily from Santana or not let her out of her sight that she was feeling the things Tina was describing. "So I'm not crazy?" she asked, innocently.

Tina smiled. "You are not crazy Brittany. Now most doctors prescribe a pill called Xnax to help when you begin to feel, well panicky. I would like to start you on this pill, but you are to only take it when you feel the symptoms I described. I would also like to start you on an anti-depressant and I am only doing that because these feelings you've been having have been constant for about nine months," she said.

"Are pills really the answer Tina?" Santana asked, not liking the fact that Brittany was going to be on drugs, prescription or not.

"Yeah I'm not really good with remembering to take pills and stuff like that," Brittany said.

"Now I am not saying these pills are going to magically make everything better, but for now they will help out a little until we get more into depth of what's going on. What will help in the long run is talking about it, discussing what is triggering your feelings, and together coming up with ways to learn how to deal with the triggers. I would like you to see me twice a week so I can monitor the medication and start working on some of these issues," Tina said, leaning over to grab her prescription pad from her desk.

Brittany nodded, not really knowing what seeing Tina twice a week was going to do. But she would do it for Santana.

Santana nodded as well, willing to try anything to get Brittany feeling better. "Alright, I guess it's worth a shot. Thanks Tina," she said, rising from the couch to pick up Lily.

"You're very welcome."

* * *

><p>Brittany woke up to a cold empty bed. The roles were reversed now that Santana had gone back to work. She immediately regretted it because she knew Santana was enjoying her time off and now she had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready for work. When rolling over to glance at the clock, she noticed a note leaning against a bottle of water and her pills that were sitting on her night table. Smiling, she grabbed the piece of paper.<p>

Morning Beautiful,

I hope you have a great day. Remember to take your pill. I'm so proud of you.

I love you and I'll see you tonight.

San

Brittany placed the note inside her night table drawer, giggling at the twenty or so other pieces of paper piled with it. She had been on her medication for a month and had been seeing Tina twice a week like she was told. She hadn't seen that much of a change but Santana was constantly telling her how proud she was at just the small things she was accomplishing.

Yawning, she stretched her body out under the covers not wanting to get up. She and Santana had taken the kids to the zoo and to dinner the day before and she was exhausted.

"Morning mommy," Jake said, entering the room. He went to Brittany's side of the bed so she could help him up.

"Morning buddy, how did you sleep?" she asked, cuddling him to her once he was up.

"Good. What are we doing today?" he asked, snuggling into his mother's embrace. Even though he was too young to know exactly what was going on, he definitely noticed a positive change in his mother.

Brittany chuckled. "I don't know baby I just woke up. What do you wanna do?" she asked, kissing his forehead.

Jake took a moment to think before answering, "Let's go to Disney World," he yelled, excited with his idea.

"Honey we don't live anywhere near Disney World. But maybe during the summer we can plan a trip there. Aren't you tired from yesterday? Those animals wore me out," she said.

"But mommy I don't have school today. We have to do something fun," he whined.

Brittany sighed, so much for a relaxing day. "Okay Jakey, we'll do something fun," she said, smiling for her son.

"Yes! I'll go get Lily up," he said, jumping off the bed.

Brittany sat up. "No baby, don't do that. Let her sleep for a little longer," she said, grabbing the baby monitor on her night table to see Lily sleeping peacefully. She had been a lot better about checking on Lily. Tina suggested they get one of the monitors with the camera on it so Brittany could see that her baby was safe.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go get ready then," he said, running out of the room.

Brittany laughed at her son's enthusiasm, something he obviously got from her. Reaching over to her night table, she grabbed her cell phone to call Santana. As she waited for her wife to answer, she opened her bottle of water and took out a pill.

"Morning baby," Santana answered.

"Morning. Thank you for my note," she said sweetly before popping the pill in her mouth and taking a sip of water.

"You're welcome. Did you just get up?" she asked, hearing the morning rasp in her wife's voice.

"Yeah, Jake's already bugging me about what we're gonna do today. Why did we only sign him up for three days a week again?" she laughed.

Santana chuckled. "Just tell him you're off duty today," she joked as she scribbled nonsense on a notepad in front of her.

"Yeah. How's work?" Brittany asked as she picked up the baby monitor to check on Lily once more before she got out of bed.

"Alright, I have a meeting with a client in fifteen minutes. Same bullshit, different day," she said, obviously not to thrilled with it.

Brittany sighed guiltily. "I'm sorry San. Do you think you can go back on maternity leave? Can't you just say I'm needed full time back at my job?" she asked.

"I can't Britt. But don't worry I'm fine. As long as you and the kids are healthy and happy, I'm happy," she said.

"Well I won't be happy unless you're happy. Why don't you quit and help at the bakery?" she suggested, much in the same tone Jake did when he thought of Disney World.

"Baby, while I appreciate the idea that's just not possible. I know the business is doing well, but that income alone isn't enough for us to live on sweetheart," she said, not wanting to sound like she made the money for the family, but in reality she kind of did.

Brittany sighed. "I miss you San. You're hardly home for dinner anymore and you barely get to see the kids. It's my entire fault. I should have never made you go back to work," she said upset.

"Britt it's not your fault. Don't worry; I have plenty of vacation time saved up. I'm just doing it their way for a while and after a bit I can take some time off," she said, trying to console her wife.

"Promise?" Brittany asked.

"I promise. So what are you going to do today?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. Quinn and Rachel are probably cursing me up and down for not have doing anything this whole week," Brittany said.

"Britt they both understand that you are trying to work through things and right now I think it's best if you are only there when it is absolutely necessary. Why don't you drop the kids off at my mom's for the night? I shouldn't be getting out too late and we can have some wine and watch a movie?" she asked, knowing Brittany needed to relax.

"I can't drink on these pills, but the movie and you sound good," she said, smiling at the thought of spending some time with Santana. Ever since she started talking to Santana about what she's been feeling, they have been better than ever. Once she heard from Santana that she didn't blame her or feel resentment towards her about what happened, she found it easy to be affectionate and intimate with her again.

Santana smiled. "Well scratch the wine, but you, me, a movie, and a fire, are on for tonight," she said.

"Perfect."

* * *

><p>After telling Jake he was spending the night at Santana's parents, he forgot about bugging Brittany about what they were going to do for the day and started bugging her about when him and Lily got to go to grandmas. At three o'clock she couldn't take it anymore and took the short drive to her in-laws apologizing for being so early, but they were just as excited as the children.<p>

Of course she was hesitant to leave, but she used the exercise Tina gave her to be able to leave comfortably. She reminded herself that her children were safe with Santana's parents and coached herself through her worries. After leaving, she stopped by the grocery store to get something to make for when Santana got home. She wasn't as great of a cook as baker, but she did a decent job.

By the time she got home it was only 4:30. She knew Santana wouldn't be home until at least seven so she decided to take a nap on the couch.

When she woke up, the smell of lemon invaded her nostrils. Yawning she glanced at the clock to see it was after eight. "Crap," she whispered. Looking over the couch, she could see Santana at the stove humming as she prepared dinner. Smiling at the sight, Brittany rose from the couch and proceeded into the kitchen. "I was gonna make you dinner," she said, sleep still evident in her voice.

Santana turned from the stove, smiling at the sleepy look on her wife's face. "Well you looked so cute cuddled up on the couch, that I decided I would cook for you," she said, beckoning Brittany over with her pointer finger.

Brittany walked over to her wife, kissing her cheek before wrapping her arms around Santana's slim waist. She rested her head on Santana's shoulder and the two softly rocked back and forth as Santana continued to cook her chicken and hum. "This smells amazing. I'm so hungry," Brittany said, not having eaten since breakfast. She broke away from Santana and went to the refrigerator to pour them drinks.

Santana smiled, taking the pan from the stove to the counter where she prepared two dishes with Chicken Francise, mashed potatoes, and long string beans. "Good," she said. She placed the dishes at the set table and sat down waiting for Brittany.

Brittany placed a drink in front of Santana before sitting across from her. Both smiled softly at one another before beginning their meal.

"How was the rest of work?" Brittany asked through small bites of green beans.

"The meeting went okay. Oh I forgot to tell you, remember that Anderson guy I was on the phone with last month?" She started, waiting for Brittany to respond. "He called my office again today. He insists that I represent him again," she laughed while scooping up a forkful of mashed potatoes.

"How many times has this guy been married? Why does he want you so bad? It's kinda creepy San," Brittany said, locking her feet around Santana's legs under the table.

Santana smiled at the action, loving the fact that Brittany had become affection again. "Not to brag baby, but I'm one of the best divorce lawyers around here. Why wouldn't he want me," she said, laughing at the expression on Brittany's face.

"Way to be cocky San," she laughed, digging her toes into Santana's calves.

"Ouch Britt," she said, wiggling her legs from Brittany's grasp. "That's not very nice baby," she teased.

Brittany ceased her attack on Santana's legs and settled back to how they were positioned before. She met eyes with her wife, loving the way Santana was staring at her. She felt truly loved at that moment.

"So what happened with the kids today? Any funny stories?" Santana asked.

Brittany took a moment to think back on her day. "Well Lily decided she was gonna chase Jake around in the family room and Jake was being so cute with her. He ran slow enough so she could catch him and every time she did, she busted into giggles. And Jake was just running around yelling 'silly Lily, silly Lily come and get me.' It was the cutest thing," Brittany said.

Santana smiled, wishing she could have been there. The continued to eat in a comfortable silence, well Santana did. Looking over at her wife's plate she noticed only a few bites had been taken. "I thought you were hungry Britt," she said, pointing with her fork at Brittany's plate.

Brittany looked down, noticing her almost full plate. Sighing, she looked at Santana. "I was, but these pills make me lose my appetite," she said.

Santana nodded slowly in thought, knowing the pills were helping, but the side effects were taking a toll on Brittany. "You feel okay thought right?"She asked.

"Yeah, I feel pretty good. Don't worry about me baby," Brittany said softly, reaching across the table to grab Santana's hand.

"I'm always going to worry about you Britt. It's my job to protect you and," she started but saw the look on Brittany's face. The look that said she was ruining the moment. Deciding to put her worries aside for the night, she took the hand that was clasped with Brittany's and pulled them up from the table. "Come on, I'll clean up and we'll watch that movie," she said before pecking Brittany on the lips.

"I'll clean. You cooked so I'll clean," she said, beginning to grab their plates from the table.

"Well I'll help you. We'll get done faster that way and then we can relax. I'm so excited that I have tomorrow off," Santana said, placing the pan she used in the sink so she could wash it.

"You do?" Brittany asked.

Santana turned her head from the sink smiling. "I might have told a little white lie to my boss so I could have tomorrow off," she laughed.

Brittany smiled as she placed the dishes in the dishwasher. "That means we can both sleep in tomorrow cuz your parents have the kids," she said excitedly.

"Well we'll need to sleep in because I don't plan on going to bed early," she said suggestively, winking at Brittany from the sink. She laughed at the blush on her wife's face.

The couple continued to clean in a happy silence before grabbing one giant bowl of ice cream and heading into the family room. Santana turned the electric fireplace on while Brittany grabbed the DVD she rented from the store and put it in the player.

With only light from the fire and TV, the two snuggled closely together on the reclined couch with their feet tangled and a blanket covering them watching _How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days._ It was an oldie but a goodie.

Santana held the bowl of ice cream in her lap, taking turns giving herself a spoonful then Brittany. "Good?" she asked before kissing Brittany's chocolaty lips.

Brittany nodded sweetly, resting her head against Santana's chest with her arm laid across her stomach. The two settled into the movie, Brittany occasionally leaning up to take a spoonful of their frozen treat.

When the ice cream was finished, Santana rested the bowl on the table next to her before wrapping both her arms around Brittany. "I love you," she whispered before pressing her lips to Brittany's forehead.

Brittany tilted her head upward, a smile playing on her lips. "I love you too," she returned the sediment before leaning in to kiss her wife.

Santana reciprocated, sneaking her teeth against Brittany's bottom lip, carefully biting at the flesh. Moaning, Brittany pulled back and looked into Santana's darkened eyes. She could see the want portrayed on her wife's face. Pulling back from their embrace, Brittany raised the blanket from them, keeping eye contact, and situated herself so she was straddling Santana's lap.

Arousal immediately spread through Santana's body. She slid her arms around Brittany's back, pulling her body against her own. She shot what she liked to call a sexy smirk to her wife before attaching their lips together in a sultry kiss. Her hands moved up and down Brittany's back before they rested on her hipbones where she gently rubbed circles with her thumbs. Brittany's lower body began to rise and fall against her wife, both their breathing becoming erratic.

"You're so sexy baby," Santana breathed out, meeting Brittany's eyes before running her hands underneath Brittany's shirt.

Brittany whimpered at the words, raising her hands in the air so Santana could remove her shirt. Santana smiled, leaning up to kiss Brittany on the lips before reaching for the remote to the TV. She quickly shut the movie off leaving them with just the fire to illuminate their bodies. Santana slid her hands up the front of Brittany's shirt, slowly feeling her toned stomach and pert breasts before lifting the article off and tossing it aside. She reached back and unclasped her bra and that too was tossed with the shirt. She took a moment to look at the body she never grew tired of seeing. To her, Brittany was the most beautiful person alive.

"San, you too," Brittany breathed out, reaching her hands down to grab at Santana's shirt. She hadn't been this turned on in a while because of the anti-depressant; it was one of the side effects, but mostly because the two of them hadn't had a night alone like this in a while.

"Britt lay back," Santana said, moving so she could remove the rest of their clothing.

Once they were situated, the two were laid naked, Santana over Brittany with the blanket resting above them. Both took turns placing kisses against the other's body, until Santana took control with hers and trailed them down to the place Brittany most needed.

Brittany thrashed against the couch, enjoying every second of pleasure Santana was giving her. Her one arm laid across her forehead, while the other gently rested on top of Santana's head. "That feels so good," she moaned, taking a moment to glance at Santana. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head at the sight.

Santana hummed in agreement while she explored the body she knew better than her own. Her hands squeezed Brittany's thighs, her tongue moved expertly, and she knew she was moments away from setting her wife off. Removing her hand from Brittany's thigh, she placed her fingers in just the right spot. She knew she had done her job when she heard an, "Oh my god," mantra over and over until Brittany's body went limp.

Smiling, she kissed her way up Brittany's body until she landed on her panting lips. "So sexy," she whispered, her own arousal still burning.

Brittany took a moment to catch her breath before flipping their bodies so she was on top. "Your turn," she whispered before capturing Santana in another mind blowing kiss. Her lips moved to Santana's neck while her fingers tiptoed down her body, paying mind to her wife's breasts before moving down to cup her sex.

"Britt, need you now," she moaned, having enough of the teasing. Her body felt as if it were about to explode when Brittany's fingers entered her. She relished the movement of her wife's fingers and began to pant as that indescribable feeling began to take over. "Just a little more," she breathed, closing her eyes.

Brittany complied, smiling at the pleasurable look on her wife's face. Nothing was more satisfying than knowing that she was pleasing her wife. She continued to help Santana ride it out until she collapsed back against the couch. "Now who's sexy," she whispered, brushing her lips against Santana's forehead.

Santana smiled between her heavy breaths before saying "Still you."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Santana pulled up to her house at nine fifteen on the dot to find Quinn's car in her driveway. She was physically and emotionally drained from her day at work and the last thing she wanted to do was entertain company, not that Quinn was really company but still. Sighing, she grabbed her briefcase from the passenger's seat before heading inside. She opened the front door to find complete chaos wreaking havoc on the other side. The family room TV was blasting, toys littered the hallway, and loud voices echoed throughout the house.

"Mama, guess who's here," Jake yelled, running to his mother as she made her way through the hallway.

Behind him entered Quinn's twin boys Tyler and Matthew. Santana forced a smile on her face, picking her son up in the process. "I see. Hey you two," she said, reaching down to ruffle each of their heads. "Where's mommy Jake," she asked, brushing the hair hanging in her son's face away.

"Aunt Tan, mommy and Aunt Brittany are drinking," Tyler laughed, pointing his finger in the direction of the kitchen.

Santana widened her eyes, not expecting a five year old to know what drinking meant. Not to mention the fact that Brittany shouldn't be drinking on her medication. "Drinking what?" she asked, just to clarify.

"I don't know," he answered before pulling on Jake's arm.

"Maybe it's giggle juice because they've been laughing all night," Matthew said.

Santana smiled, placing her son back on the ground. "Go play," she said, shaking her head at their cuteness. The three friends grabbed hands and headed back towards the family room. The sight reminded Santana of her, Brittany, and Quinn at that age. Deciding to join her wife and friend for some giggle juice, she made her way into the kitchen. Brittany's eyes lit up at the sight of her wife.

"San, you're home," she smiled, getting up from her seat to greet her wife.

Santana pecked her on the lips before wrapping her arm around her waist and turning to Quinn. "I heard from the boys that you two are enjoying some giggle juice," she said, smiling at the confused looks on their faces.

"Oh you mean the wine? Yeah I needed to relax a little," Quinn said, holding up the half empty bottle of wine.

"And you?" Santana asked Brittany trying not to sound like she was accusing her of anything.

"My giggle juice is non-alcoholic," she laughed, holding up her glass of Iced Tea.

"Yeah Britt's been a good girl, don't worry," Quinn teased, earning an eye roll from her dark haired best friend.

"Where's Lily?" Santana asked, surprised that she wasn't attached to Brittany.

"Sleeping San. It's after nine," Brittany answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She reached up into the cabinet and grabbed a wine glass for Santana.

Santana smiled to Quinn, sharing a knowing glance with her friend. It was only a few months ago when Lily was up with Brittany until Brittany went to sleep. She held her proud smile as she accepted the glass of wine from her wife. "Thanks baby," she said taking a sip.

"So how was work? Any good divorce stories?" Quinn asked, gesturing with her hand for her friends to sit with her.

Brittany refilled her glass before taking a seat across from Quinn, while Santana took a seat on top of the island counter facing them.

"Utterly exhausting. I went from going back part time to my boss making me run the place because I'm the only one he trusts," she started, taking a sip of her wine. "So not only am I dealing with my own cases, but I'm dealing with everyone else's bullshit too because they're too stupid to figure it out themselves," she complained.

Brittany looked down at the table. Every time Santana complained about her job, she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. Taking her pointer finger, she began to follow the pattern of watermark left on the table from her drink.

"You should ask for a raise, or ownership of the firm," Quinn said, a little tipsy from her wine.

"I'm already the highest paid at the firm besides my boss. Which is why I guess I can't really complain," she said, turning to Brittany. "What's wrong Britt?" she asked.

Brittany looked up from the table. "Nothing," she said, shooting her wife a small smile.

Santana eyed her carefully, finishing the last of her wine before hopping off the counter. She knew something was up with her wife, but she didn't have the energy to deal with it at the moment. "Well sorry to cut this short ladies, but I'm gonna take a shower and head to bed," she said, leaning down to kiss Brittany on top of her head.

"Night San," Quinn said, not picking up on the slight tension between Brittany and Santana.

"Night Q," she said, taking one last look at her wife before heading upstairs.

Brittany followed Santana with her eyes until her wife disappeared from the room.

Quinn rise from her seat to put her wine glass in the dishwasher. "I better head out too Britt, Puck's getting the boys early tomorrow," she said.

"Any chance that he's gonna move back home?" Brittany asked.

"We're taking it slow Britt. We still have a lot to work through before that happens. We don't want to confuse the kids you know," she said, grabbing her coat from the back of the kitchen chair.

Brittany nodded, following Quinn into the family room. "Quinn leave it, I'll clean it up later," she said, watching her friend make an attempt at the mess their boy's created.

"No Britt, this is a mess. What did you boy's do?" she asked, grimacing at the state of the Lopez-Pierce house.

"It's fine, I'm used to it. Jake still hasn't learned the concept of clean up time. Or I guess me and Santana just spoil him rotten," she laughed.

Quinn smiled while shaking her head. "Alright. Boys come on say thank you to Aunt Britt," Quinn said while grabbing their coats off the back of the couch.

"Thank you Aunt Brittany," they said in unison while hugging her legs.

"You're very welcome," she said leaning down to kiss them.

Quinn walked over to Jake who was almost asleep on the couch. "By Jakey baby," she whispered gently before kissing his cheek.

"By Aunt Q," he whispered back, his thumb slowly making its way to his mouth. Brittany and Santana have tried everything to stop him from doing it but nothings worked.

"Alright Britt, I'll stop by in the afternoon tomorrow for the cakes," Quinn said, leaning in to hug her friend.

"Sounds good, I'll be here," she laughed, walking them to the door. She waited until Quinn backed down the driveway before closing the door and turning towards the mess in front of her. "Yikes," she said.

"Mommy I'm tired," Jake whined, walking towards his mother.

Brittany smiled, lifting the boy into her arms. "Me too baby. Come on, I'll take you to bed."

* * *

><p>"You went to bed late huh," Santana stated as she fixed her morning cup of coffee.<p>

Brittany nodded from her seat at the counter, her forehead resting against her hand. "The place was a mess," she yawned, looking over to make sure Lily wasn't making a mess of her cheerios. She smiled at her daughter before resuming her slumped position.

Santana put the lid on her travel mug before going behind Brittany to rub her shoulders. "What do you have planned for the day?" she whispered, leaning down to kiss her wife's cheek as she continued her massage.

Brittany closed her eyes, enjoying the much needed back rub she was receiving. "I have some cakes that I have to do so your mom said she would watch Lily and pick Jake up from school," she said tiredly.

Santana nodded, happy that Brittany was asking for help when she needed it. She was very thankful that her parents were so supportive and accepting of her and Brittany's relationship because that wasn't the case with Brittany's parents. She knew it upset her wife tremendously and like before how they never talked about the loss of their son, they never talked about Brittany's parents either. Santana has tried to bring the subject up but it only ends in tears on both sides.

"Alright well, I'm off. I'll see you tonight," she said, leaning down to kiss Brittany.

"Call me on your lunch break," Brittany said, while Santana made her way over to their daughter to say goodbye.

Santana smiled at Lily before leaving a lipstick mark on her cheek and turning towards her wife. "Will do. Jake come on baby," she yelled up the stairs.

The couple smiled as the tired boy stomped down the staircase into the kitchen. He looked anything but happy.

"Do I have to go to school?" he whined, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yes," both Brittany and Santana replied, not leaving any room for argument. They could only imagine what their son would be like once he got to real school if he didn't even want to attend pre-school.

"I don't wanna," he complained, pouting out his lip extra hard to make his parent's understand his frustration.

Brittany smiled and bent down so she was level with Jake. "Buddy, is there any reason you don't want to go today?" she asked gently, brushing her hand across his cheek.

Jake nodded his head.

Santana bent down next to Brittany, worried that something was seriously wrong by the look on her son's face. "What is it baby?" she asked him, grabbing one of his hands in hers.

Jake looked back and forth between his parents before answering, "We have to talk about our daddies today and I don't have a daddy so I shouldn't have to go," he explained, as if he were teaching the girl's about the birds and the bees.

Santana's eyes widened. She didn't even know how to respond to that because it wasn't as if Jake were upset that he didn't have a daddy, he was just merely stating it as a fact. And why should he have to go? Her son was right, her five-year-old son was right. She looked to her wife who looked equally as baffled. "Um Britt?" she asked, hoping her wife would take this one.

Brittany looked back and forth between her wife and son before an idea popped in her head. "Puck," she shouted excitedly, "You could talk about Uncle Puck. He's like a father to you," she encouraged, happy with her ingenuous idea, but Jake wasn't having it.

"Tye and Matt are talking about him. I can't talk about him too," he yelled.

Brittany nodded nervously, not knowing what she should say because she didn't want to upset him further.

"What about grandpa? Yeah talk about grandpa," Santana chimed in, hoping she wouldn't strike out like her wife.

Jake looked back and forth between his parents trying to figure out why they seemed so nervous. He didn't understand why they were trying to make him talk about someone he didn't have. He was okay with not having a daddy. "Can't I just go in on Thursday when we have to talk about our mommy? I have two of those," he said as if they didn't know.

Santana smiled, pulling her son in for a hug. "Yes baby, you don't have to go in today," she said, pulling away to find a big smile on his face.

"I'm gonna go play trucks," he told them before going into the family room.

Santana and Brittany stood up, both flustered from the conversation that just took place.

"What just happened?" Brittany asked while lifting Lily from her highchair.

Santana smiled. "Our son is beyond his years Britt," she laughed.

* * *

><p>Santana was seated at her desk going through paperwork when her cell phone began to vibrate against the wooden surface. Sighing, she picked it up to see Brittany's number flashing on the screen.<p>

"Hey baby, I'm kind of busy," she started, rolling her eyes at the work before her. She knew it was going to be another late night at the office.

"San," Brittany trembled, her voice timid.

Santana's focus was brought to her wife. "What's wrong Britt?" she asked before getting up from her desk to shut her office door. She didn't need her nosy secretary eavesdropping.

"I don't know. Your mom came and got the kids and I was fine. I started to work on the cakes and I… I just started thinking about them getting into a car accident. And I've tried calling your mom but she won't pick up. She won't pick up her phone San," she panicked, shouting the last part.

Santana let out a deep sigh. Even though Brittany had been going to therapy and taking medicine, she still was working through her problems. And Santana understood that, but right now she had too much work to do to be dealing with this.

"Britt, I'm sure they're fine. You know my parents are cell phone challenged. She probably took them to the park or something and left it in the car," she said, trying to soothe her wife's worries.

"No, I told her to keep her cell phone on her. I knew I should have just told Rachel to make these damn cakes," she rambled, her tone of voice still fearful.

Santana grabbed her temples. "Babe the kids are fine," she said trying to be calm.

"You don't know that," Brittany yelled, slapping her hand against the counter.

"Brittany I don't have time for this," Santana said through clenched teeth. She was usually understanding of Brittany's panic attacks, but she had so much work to get done that she was stressed as well.

"Well when we find your mom and our children dead in a ditch somewhere, I hope you have time to come to the funerals," Brittany screamed before hanging up the phone.

Santana breathed in deep before letting it out with a strangled sound. "Fuck," she whispered, gathering her papers and putting them in her briefcase before grabbing her jacket from the back of the chair. She grabbed the doorknob, ripping the door of its hinges as it opened. "Terry, I'm taking my work home for the day," she snarled, as she passed the woman to head to the elevator.

When she reached the parking garage, she dialed her mother's number. Mrs. Lopez picked up on the second ring.

"Hey sweetie," she answered cheerily.

"Mom, why didn't you answer when Brittany called you? She's freaking out," Santana yelled, hitting the unlock button on her keys as she reached her car. She got in and slammed the door closed to help ease her aggravation, only it angered her further.

"Oh, I didn't hear it ring sweetie. We just got back in the car. I took the kids to the park," she answered still not affected by her daughter's attitude.

"Well now I have to leave work to make sure my pissed off wife doesn't have a conniption. I don't understand this. I thought these stupid pills were working," she said, expressing her frustration with her mother.

"Honey, pills aren't the cure all for everything. And Brittany is doing so much better. You just have to be there for her honey when things like this happen. She isn't doing it on purpose," her mother said gently.

Santana sighed, making her way out of the parking garage to make the short drive home. "I know mom. I know she doesn't do it on purpose, but it's hard sometimes. It's hard to get her to relax. Mentally and physically. I went to massage her shoulders this morning and her muscles were like bricks. I mean she's been going to the sessions with Tina and doing everything she's been told but she still has a wall up," Santana confessed.

"It's not gonna happen overnight San," her mother warned.

"It's just things have been so good. And now, I just don't want her to start backtracking," Santana admitted.

"She's doing good baby. Just keep supporting her," Mrs. Lopez encouraged.

Santana nodded, pulling into her driveway. "Alright, I'm home. I'll call you later."

* * *

><p>"Britt," Santana called as she walked through the entryway of their home. As she made her way into the kitchen, she saw a half decorated cake sitting on the island counter and Brittany seated at one of the stools with her head in her hand. It was much like she found her wife this morning.<p>

"Leave me alone Santana," Brittany whispered, not bothering to lift her head. She was physically and mentally drained and the last thing she needed was another argument.

Santana realized the state of her wife, and decided to approach her carefully. She placed her briefcase on the kitchen table before turning back towards her wife. "I got a hold of my mom. She was at the park with the kids. I told her to call you when they got back to her house," she said softly, placing her hand on Brittany's back, but it was shrugged away.

"Thanks," she said, her tone emotionless. She continued to stare at the countertop, avoiding any contact with her wife.

Santana continued to try and ease Brittany out of her mood. "Do you want me to call Rachel and ask if she can finish this up?" she asked, knowing the pile of eggshells she was walking on was getting higher and higher.

Brittany's head snapped up like a rubber band. "I'm not crazy alright. I don't need you to babysit me. So go back to whatever you were doing because I'm fine," she yelled, finally meeting her wife's eyes.

Santana stared at the blue orbs penetrating her own. Her eyebrows rose at the hiss in Brittany's voice and she wanted nothing more than to hiss back. But she didn't. "You're not fine Britt. You're not crazy, but you're not fine either babe," she said, lifting her hand to caress Brittany's cheek.

Brittany turned her cheek away. "Go away Santana. I want to be alone right now," she whispered as tears began to fall from her eyes.

Santana eyed her wife for a moment. She was hurt by the way Brittany was acting towards her. Shaking her head, she grabbed her briefcase. "I'll be in my office," she said softly, before heading down the hallway and into her sanctuary.

Brittany closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. Her moment of tortuous silence was interrupted by the back door opening. She quickly wiped her tears away as Quinn stepped inside.

"Hey Britt," she greeted cheerfully, "Is San home? I saw her car in the driveway?" she asked, making herself at home by going into the refrigerator. She pulled out a pitcher of iced tea.

"She's in her office," Brittany answered quietly. She grabbed the piping bag filled with red icing that triggered her panic attack. She eased her thoughts away from the blood she saw earlier and tried to finish the cake.

Quinn nodded and poured herself a drink. "I left Puck back at the bakery with Rach. I needed to get out for a little while," she gabbed, but when she turned to her best friend, her smile dropped. "Are you okay Britt?" she asked, noticing her friend's tear stained cheeks.

"I'm fine," she whimpered, not removing her focus from the cake. She knew she wasn't doing her best work, but with the day she was having, she honestly didn't care. She just wanted to finish and go to bed.

"I'm gonna talk to San a second," Quinn said wearily, eyeing Brittany with uncertainty as she made her way out of the kitchen.

If Brittany heard her, she didn't acknowledge it.

* * *

><p>"San?"<p>

Santana looked up from her paperwork to see Quinn entering her office. She noticed the worried look on her friend's face an assumed she had just talked to Brittany. "Hey," she said quietly.

Quinn closed the door behind her and sat on the couch across from Santana's desk. "What's going on?" she asked, referring to the sadden girl working in the kitchen.

"Bad day," Santana answered, rolling her eyes. It was something she did without knowing.

Quinn nodded, trying to process the information. "Are you two fighting or something?" she asked, still not grasping the problem from Santana's vague answer.

Santana sighed. "I don't know. To tell you the truth, I don't know if I'm coming or going anymore Quinn," she cackled.

Quinn squinted at her words, "What does that mean San?"

"It means I'm dealing with a whirlwind of emotions here Quinn. Some days she's up, the next down. It's like a three ring circus. I don't know what the fuck to do anymore," she yelled.

"I think you both need to relax Santana. I can finish up Britt's work for the week and maybe you can get some time off from work. You and her should go somewhere, figure all this out," Quinn suggested.

"I can't take time off right now. I have too much to get done," Santana said frustrated.

A knock on the door, interrupted her thoughts. Brittany stuck her head inside, eyeing the two carefully. "The cakes are done Quinn. I'm gonna go take a nap," she said, whispering the last part to Santana.

Santana nodded, watching with worried eyes as Brittany shut the door.

"Go with her," Quinn urged, gesturing with her hand to follow Brittany.

Santana looked at her paperwork, then back to Quinn.

"I'm grabbing the cakes and I'm out of here," she smiled, winking at Santana before heading towards the kitchen.

Santana pushed her paperwork to the side before rising from her chair. Sighing, from both frustration and exhaustion, she turned the monitor to her computer off before heading to the door. On her way out, she shut the door to her office and made her way up to her bedroom. Once inside, she meant Brittany's eyes as Brittany was getting under the covers.

"What are you doing?" Brittany asked wearily. She just wanted to sleep.

Santana moved towards the bed not breaking their eye contact, slipping her shoes off before getting under the covers. She scooted towards Brittany and reached her arms out. "Just let me hold you," she whispered.

Their eyes locked for several moments before Brittany nodded and fell into her wife's embrace.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you everyone for taking interest in the story and the nice reviews. I very much appreciate it!

* * *

><p>"Santana did you find the candles?" Brittany called, as she rushed around the kitchen rummaging through their drawers. "It was on her list," she mumbled frustrated.<p>

They were in the middle of Lily's birthday celebration with a house packed full of friends and family when Brittany went to go get the cake and dessert ready. She was unpleasantly surprised to find there were no candles in which Santana promised she would get. Now they were both tearing the house apart trying to find one. They only needed one.

"Relax baby. I'm sure we have a candle in here somewhere. I mean you own a bakery. We have to have one lying around," Santana said, trying to stay positive but mostly not wanting to get in trouble with her wife.

"How are we supposed to sing Happy Birthday to our one year old without a candle?" Brittany exasperated. She continued to search high and low.

Santana rolled her eyes, reaching her hand back into the junk drawer as far as it would go. Her fingertips gripped something waxy. "I think I found one," she said, pulling it from the drawer.

Brittany's eyes lit up at the site of a pretty pink candle squeezed between her wife's fingers. Smiling, she walked over to Santana and pecked her on the lips. "Thank you," she whispered, grabbing the wax stick before going back to her preparation.

"Thank you," Santana mouthed up to the ceiling with a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>Santana was stretched out against the leather couch cushions, her arm placed lazily over her face. She was taking in the serenity of the moment after spending the afternoon with what seemed like hundreds of little kids. She silently thanked whoever would listen that the day was over. She was beyond exhausted.<p>

"Lily's down. She had a cute little smile on her face as she was falling asleep," Brittany said as she entered the family room. She smiled at the sight of her wife sprawled out across the couch.

"What about Jakey?" Santana mumbled with her eyes still closed.

"Out like a light," Brittany beamed while climbing on the couch with Santana and draping herself over her wife's body.

"Jeez baby," Santana laughed, wrapping her arms around the blonde, her hands resting on Brittany's lower back. The two laid in a comfortable silence, both in their own thoughts. "Today was nice huh," Santana whispered, rubbing her hand up and down Brittany's back.

Brittany nodded against Santana's chest. "Yeah we did good," she whispered back peacefully. She was extremely comfortable lying against Santana. She knew things had been a little rocky between them lately mostly because of her, but she was happy that in this moment they were happy with life and happy with one another.

"Everybody loved your cake. The details on it were beautiful Britt. I can see you really put your all into it," Santana gently said, titling her head down to kiss Brittany's forehead.

Brittany lifted her head and met Santana's loving eyes. She still couldn't believe how lucky she was to have meant the love of her life in high school. That didn't happen for everyone. Sighing contently, she rubbed her thumb against Santana's cheek before placing a soft kiss to her lips. "Well your decorations were crazy good. You and Rach really pulled it off," she said proudly.

Santana smirked as she gazed into her wife's clear blue eyes. She wished every moment could be like this between the two. "Lily got lots of presents. We're gonna need Puck to put most of them together," she chuckled, knowing both her and Brittany were idiots when it came to that stuff.

Brittany lowered her head once again so she was resting against Santana. "Your parent's really spoiled her this year," she whispered longingly. She was grateful yet saddened at the same time because her parents didn't even acknowledge their baby's first birthday.

Santana began running her hand through Brittany's long locks of blonde hair. She knew her wife was thinking about her parents and it hurt her to know Brittany was hurting. "Baby, maybe they just forgot," she said softly. She knew bringing this up would ruin their perfect moment, but she did it anyway.

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut so tears wouldn't fall onto Santana's shirt. "You can't forget Santana when you don't know in the first place. They probably don't even know we have a second child," Brittany said, trying not to raise her voice at Santana because she knew she was only trying to help.

Santana's hand stilled on Brittany's head. "Well that's not exactly true baby," she admitted, wincing when Brittany's head snapped up to look at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked wearily.

"I sent them a birth announcement. You know the ones we sent to everyone after Lily was born with her birth date and weight and stuff," she said, cupping Brittany's cheek in hope of forgiveness.

Brittany's eyes widened. "What?" she asked with disbelief.

"I figured it would maybe give a fresh start you know. Make them see that you being with me isn't as bad as they think," she tried, her teeth clenching at the painful look on Brittany's face. "Baby, I'm sorry I should have told you," she started but Brittany shook her head.

"No I'm not mad at you. I just can't believe them. My own parents receive a picture of the children we created and they are still the narrow minded fucks they were ten years ago," she whimpered, rubbing at her eyes to stop the tears.

Santana grabbed her wife's hands. "Britt, baby it's not your fault," she said soothingly, bringing her wife back to her chest so she could hug her.

"I know it's not my fault. But it still hurts. I mean they don't even know what we went through. We should be celebrating two birthdays today, not one," she mumbled, pressing herself into Santana to make all the pain evaporate.

"I know baby. I know," she whispered, rubbing her hands up and down Brittany's back.

And once again, the serenity was gone.

* * *

><p>"Ma Ma. Ma Ma," was heard through the monitor resting on Brittany's bedside table. Through squinted eyes, she untangled herself from the embrace her and Santana were currently in to check the time. Her eyes widened at the numbers. "San its ten o'clock," she yelled, shoving her hand into Santana's shoulder.<p>

"Uhh, it's Sunday," Santana whined, batting away her wife's hand.

Brittany rolled her eyes while getting out of bed. She grabbed her robe and turned to her wife. "If you don't get up now I'm gonna sick the kids on you," she threatened before making her way to her daughter's room.

"But it's Sunday," Santana complained, rolling onto her stomach and sticking the pillow over her head.

Moments later, Brittany entered with a very energetic Lily squirming in her mother's arms. "Look Lil, mama didn't listen to mommy. Guess we're gonna have to stick your stinky diaper booty on mama's face," she teased, trying to hide the humor in her voice.

"Don't you dare Brittany or I will not do that thing you love so much for a very long time," she warned, pulling her head from underneath the pillow.

Brittany laughed. "And what thing would that be San?" she asked, with knowing gleam in her eyes.

Santana narrowed her eyes at her wife. "You know exactly what thing Britt," she answered before running her tongue around her lips.

Brittany's eyes widened at her wife's actions. "Let's go change you stinky pants," she said to Lily, a little flustered with what just went down.

Santana smiled triumphantly. "Works every time," she whispered to herself.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Santana joined her family in the kitchen for her morning or now afternoon cup of coffee. She poured herself a generous amount and sat across from Jake at the kitchen table. "Morning baby," she said cheerfully. She needed the extra sleep.<p>

Jake smiled through his mouth of fruit loops. "Morning mama," he replied.

Brittany grabbed her napkin and wiped the milk dribbling down her son's chin. "Over the bowl buddy," she directed.

Santana turned to her little girl, brushing the blonde curls from her eyes. "Morning pretty," she cooed, leaning over to kiss her rosy cheeks.

Lily showed off her two teeth, reaching out to grab her mother's face. "Mama," she yelled excitedly, pushing herself up in her highchair.

The couple laughed at the sight. Santana finished her morning greetings with her wife. "Morning baby," she smiled, leaning over to peck her lips.

"Afternoon San," Brittany answered with a smirk.

Santana playfully rolled her eyes before grabbing a piece of Brittany's toast from her plate. Brittany smiled, shaking her head before going back to feeding Lily her squashed bananas.

"So what's the plan for today?" Santana asked through a mouth full of crumbs.

"Grandma and Grandpas," Jake shouted excitedly, clanking his spoon against his bowl in the process.

Brittany narrowed her eyes at Santana questioningly.

"That's tonight baby," she answered while keeping eye contact with her wife.

"What's tonight?" Brittany asked, pointing Lily's banana covered spoon in Santana's direction.

Santana gulped, knowing just last night Brittany almost had a meltdown about her parents. She sighed before answering, "My parents invited us for dinner last night before they left. I forgot to tell you."

Brittany nodded, before going back to feeding their daughter.

"I can cancel baby. We can see them during the week or something," Santana said trying to compromise. She knew Brittany loved seeing her parents; it was just another turn in the knife though to what was expressed the previous night.

Brittany shook her head. "No that's fine. I love your parents San," she said sincerely, trying to not think about her own bloodline. "As for today, we need to food shop and stuff for the week," she said, gesturing with her eyes towards the empty cereal box.

Santana nodded, not wanting to bring up Brittany's parents in front of the kids. She took one last sip of her coffee before getting up. "Alright, I'm gonna go get ready," she said, making her way to the stairs.

"Wait, can you change Lily?" Brittany asked, cleaning up Lily's face with a washcloth and picking her up from the chair.

Santana smiled, happy to take Lily from Brittany. She loved the days when Brittany didn't over think or become possessive of Lily. She grabbed her daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Come on pumpkin, time to get you dressed," she baby talked, making her daughter giggle.

* * *

><p>"Can I get this?" Jake asked, running up to the shopping cart to so his moms a toy truck.<p>

Santana rolled her eyes because this was the twentieth thing their son has asked for in the last five minutes.

"No," both moms chanted once again, looking to each other with annoyance.

Jake pouted and put the toy back on the shelf.

"Why do they even have a toy aisle in the food store?" Santana asked as she pushed the cart down the aisle. She watched Brittany put paper towels and other necessities into the cart.

"Beats me," she replied, tickling Lily under her arm as she sat patiently in the front of the cart. "Come on Jakey," she called, looking behind them to find their son ogling at the toys.

Jake stomped his way over to his parents, not happy with them. "I want a toy," he whined, kicking the wheel of the shopping cart.

Santana's eyes widened at the action, ready to pounce when Brittany shot her a look of 'let me handle this.'

Kneeling down to her son's level, she gently grabbed his chin so he would look at her. "Jake behavior like this isn't going to get you a toy, you know that. Now mama and I are trying to get the food shopping done. If you're a good boy for the rest of the trip, tomorrow you can go to the store and get a small toy," she said gently but firm.

Jake nodded before hugging his mother. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her neck. He pulled back and looked up to Santana. "I'm sorry," he whispered, slightly more afraid of Santana.

Both smiled to their son letting him know that he was forgiven. The Lopez-Pierce clan continued to pile up their cart bringing their final bill to over three hundred dollars. On the way home, both Lily and Jake fell asleep and Brittany wasn't too far behind either.

Santana looked to her wife, grabbing her hand gently. "You okay Britt?" she asked, massaging the long slender fingers grasping her own.

Brittany nodded softly smiling to her wife. "Just tired," she answered.

Santana nodded, keeping her eyes on the road and glancing at Brittany every now and again as they made their way home. When she pulled into the driveway, her entire family was snoozing away. Chuckling, she got out and quietly shut her door. She went to the trunk and began taking out the groceries and bringing them into the kitchen. After she put everything away, she went back out and turned the ignition off before taking one child at a time up to their room. By the time she was finished, she could barely breathe. Making her way back to the car one last time, she stopped and studied her wife for a moment. She smiled at the peaceful look on Brittany's face, hoping she was dreaming of something great. Deciding not to wake her, she ran back in the house and got a blanket. She draped the blanket over Brittany before gently kissing her forehead and shutting the car door quietly.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Dinner at the Lopez's had been a peaceful affair. Santana's mother had made her favorite meal and Santana had made sure to remind her mother to send her home with the leftovers. When they got home, she had been the only one exhausted because she didn't get a power nap like the rest of her family. While she went to bed, Brittany stayed up to all hours of the night with the children watching Disney movies. On her way out the next morning, the three were snuggled up on the recliner fast asleep. She knew her wife would be in need of a major back massage that night.

On her way to work, she thought about the situation with her in-laws and contemplated whether or not she should intervene. The first time she got involved was right before her and Brittany had gotten engaged, when she went to ask their permission, and that ended with Brittany being kicked out of the house and disowned from her family. Brittany's parents assumed they were going through a phase and once they left for college, they would be done experimenting. It wasn't exactly the most romantic proposal considering Brittany's mother screaming from the top of her lungs what a disgrace they were when the question of permission left Santana's lips. Her mother marched up the stairs, dragged Brittany down by the hair, and threw them out of the house leaving Brittany in a state of confusion to which Santana could only answer truthfully. While Brittany knew she would say yes from the second she was asked, it took her three days to even process what had happened with her parents before she agreed to become Santana's wife.

Through the years Santana had made countless efforts to get through to her in-laws, but deep inside she knew it was a lost battle. She knew she could never change the way they felt. But the pained look on her wife's face every time she was reminded of something her parents did or didn't do was what made her keep trying.

When she arrived at her office, the pace was already set for a slow day. It was Monday, which meant everyone was still in weekend mode and the hustle and bustle that usually described the office was quiet and almost serene. She smiled politely to her colleagues before closing her office door behind her and sinking into her comfy leather chair. She had to begun to sort what she needed to accomplish for the day when her cell phone began vibrating on the desk.

Sighing of relief, she picked up the wanted distraction. "Hey mom, what's up?" she asked.

"Hi sweetheart. How is your morning going?" Mrs. Lopez asked, her voice as cheery as the night before.

"Better than Brittany's that's for sure," Santana laughed before continuing, "Her and the kids were up all night because of the nap they took and when I left, they were all cramped up on the recliner in the family room," she said.

Mrs. Lopez chuckled. "Oh dear. Is Brittany alright though? She was awfully quiet last night and usually the girl is bouncing off the walls with energy," she said, knowing her daughter-in-law's usual persona.

Santana sighed, not wanting to just throw Brittany's problems out to everyone, but wanting an opinion other than her own. "She's just been down the past couple days. Every time there's a holiday or special occasion, she thinks about her parents," Santana admitted, knowing her mother would keep the conversation between just them.

"It's such a shame dear, it really is. I don't know how anyone could do that to their daughter," Mrs. Lopez said solemnly.

"Yeah well Britt's been doing so well lately, I hate to see her down like this. It like physically hurts me to see her this upset. I don't know what I should do," Santana confessed, hoping her mother would magically solve everything.

"Honey we've all tried getting through to them," Mrs. Lopez said, not wanting her daughter to get hurt as well.

Santana sighed. "I know. It's just sometimes I feel like," she started but paused.

"Like what Santana?" her mother asked.

"It's because of them that she gets these panic attacks. I know it. It stems from them abandoning her. If I could just get them to accept us and want to be back in her life, maybe she won't need to take these pills anymore or have to see a therapist," Santana said while beginning to choke up.

"San honey, I wish it were that easy. But baby that's not going happen as much as we all want it. Britt needs the medicine right now and she needs the therapy. Even if her parents did turn around, everything isn't going to be magically better for her. She needs to work through it with a professional honey," Mrs. Lopez said gently.

Santana sat in silence nodding her head. She wished things would get easier.

* * *

><p>Slow Mondays, meant Santana got to leave the office early. She walked into her house at around three o'clock to find her family playing with play dough at the kitchen table.<p>

"Mama look at my snowman," Jake said, holding up his doughy multi-colored figure.

Santana smiled before kissing him on the forehead. "Awesome baby," she approved before kissing Lily hello.

"How was work San?" Brittany asked with her focus on the play dough birthday cake she was creating.

Santana eyed her wife strangely. 'Cake is always on that girl's mind,' she thought before shaking her head with a smirk. "Work was work," she replied, going around the island counter to peek in the refrigerator.

Brittany chuckled at Santana's typical response. "Don't eat anything San, we're having dinner soon."

Santana shut the door with defeat. She was starving because she didn't take a lunch break. "Like five minutes soon or five hours soon. Our definitions of the word soon are completely different baby," Santana whined, knowing her wife's sense of time was nonexistent.

Brittany laughed before standing up from her chair. "Alright kiddies play dough time is over. Mama needs some nourishment," she teased as she began cleaning up the dough.

Santana pouted from her spot at the island.

* * *

><p>"So I talked to Quinn today. Her and Puck are doing really great. They started seeing Tina too for some counseling," Brittany said with a mouth full of foam from their master bathroom as she brushed her teeth.<p>

"Oh yeah?" Santana responded from their bed, barely listening to what her wife was saying. She was focused on her laptop screen, attempting to write her in-laws a letter.

"Yeah Quinn said she'd never seen Puck open up as much as he's been doing. I think this is really good for them," Brittany continued, rinsing her mouth with Listerine before shutting off the light and heading back into their room. "What are you doing?" she smiled, realizing her wife probably hadn't heard a word she had said.

Santana quickly saved and closed her word document before meeting her wife's eyes. "Just checking my mail," she smiled innocently.

Brittany eyed her suspiciously before accepting her answer. She made her way to their bed, pulling back the covers before hopping in next to Santana. "So do you agree with me?" She asked sneakily, knowing her wife was clueless as to what she was talking about.

Santana's eyes widened as she put her laptop on her bedside table. "Um yeah totally Britt," she tried, nodding her head up and down.

Brittany smiled. "Cool I'll shave it tomorrow," she said, trying not to laugh.

Santana's eyes narrowed. "Shave?" she asked, wearily.

"Yeah Jake's gonna be a real cutie as a baldy," she began but stopped at Santana's expression.

"Wait what? Britt you are not shaving our son's head," she yelled, jumping to her knees in front of Brittany.

Knelt before her, they stared at one another for what seemed like minutes before a smile broke out on Brittany's face. Santana rolled her eyes, before playfully landing herself on top of Brittany. "You jerk," she whined while snuggling into her wife's embrace.

Brittany continued to giggle as she rubbed her hands up and down Santana's back. The two laid in a comfortable silence when the laughter died down, taking in the comfort of being in one another's hold.

An appreciative hum was heard from Santana as Brittany scratched her fingers through Santana's hair, massaging her scalp. "I was supposed to give you a massage tonight," she mumbled through a pleasurable haze.

Brittany smiled, continuing with her rubdown. "Says who?"

Santana smiled into the crook of Brittany's neck, breathing in her scent before lifting her head to meet her wife's eyes. "Says me," she whispered adoringly.

Brittany seized her movements, looking into the eyes that could only make her feel the way she was feeling. "You make me so happy Santana." She gently cupped Santana's face before pressing her lips against her wife's lips.

"Mhmh," Santana groaned, scooting her body up further to be level with Brittany's face. Leaned over her wife, she desperately pressed her lips back onto Brittany's. "I'm gonna make you really happy right now," she grinned stealthily, moving her kisses down the length of Brittany's body.

Brittany's head fell back against her pillow, her eyes closed in pleasure at the feeling of her wife's lips pressing into her skin. She blindly reached below her, gently grasping onto Santana's brunette locks as Santana kissed around her hipbone. "San," she whispered desperately, unconsciously tilting her hips up to Santana.

Santana used both hands to remove her wife's pajama bottoms before resuming her position between Brittany's legs. She gently pushed Brittany's top up to kiss around her abdomen, but didn't remove it completely. "You ready?" She whispered, her breath leaving Goosebumps across Brittany's skin.

"Yes," Brittany answered, titling her head down to meet Santana's eyes.

Locked in a stare, Brittany's eyes rolled in the back of her head at the first touch of Santana's tongue hitting her in just the right spot. She fell back against her pillow once again to enjoy what her wife was giving her. "Feels good," she moaned, resting her legs over Santana's shoulders.

Santana moaned in return, taking her time to bring Brittany over the edge. And when she did, it was something she was proud of. She knew she was the only one who could ever make Brittany feel that good. She rested her head against Brittany's thigh, giving the shaking girl a moment to calm down.

"God Santana," she panted, reaching her arms down to pull her wife to her.

Santana complied, moving up to lie against Brittany's heaving chest. She chuckled at the state of her wife, gently stroking her fingertips along Brittany's arm. "Good?" she asked teasingly.

Brittany smiled before gently pushing Santana off of her. Santana fell to her back, even more aroused at the sight of Brittany hovering over her in just a t-shirt. She gently straddled Santana, leaning down to her ear before whispering, "Let me show you."

Santana could only smile as Brittany began to pepper her neck with kisses. Brittany grabbed Santana's wrists and held them to the bed as she moved her limber body down, using her head to nudge Santana's shirt up. She kissed around her toned stomach, dipping her tongue into Santana's bellybutton before meeting her wife's aroused stare. "You want me to lick anywhere else?" she teased, laughing at the frustrated look on Santana's face.

"Jesus Brittany," she whined, ripping her arms from Brittany's hold. She quickly slid her hands down to her pajama pants but Brittany intercepted.

"Oh no, don't even," she laughed, replacing Santana's hands with her own.

"Well get a move on it Britt, you're killing me here," she pleaded, hating when her wife teased her.

Brittany smiled to herself before removing the piece of clothing keeping them from being together. She gently coaxed Santana's legs apart before placing them over her shoulders. Leaning down, she softly blew at the skin before kissing.

Santana squirmed pleasurably at the feeling, knowing what was coming next. When Brittany's tongue darted into her most intimate place, she cried out. "Yes," she moaned, covering her eyes with the crook of her arm.

Brittany smiled, loving making her wife feel good. She gripped onto Santana's thighs tighter as she explored with her mouth. The moments that passed by felt like seconds and just as she was about to let go, a curling scream was heard and it wasn't from Santana.

Both girls jumped at the sound of their son's voice before meeting eyes questionably. They quickly gathered the pajama bottoms, putting them on before racing to their son's room.

"What's the matter Jakey?" Brittany questioned as she sat on the edge of his bed to grab him in a tight hug.

Santana, still a little flustered from what didn't happen, stood by the bed and placed a hand on Brittany's shoulder.

"I don't feel good," Jake cried snot and wet tears absorbing into Brittany's night shirt as she rocked him.

Brittany looked up to Santana, not knowing what to do. She hated when one of her kid's got sick.

Santana knelt down and gently pulled Jake from Brittany's embrace, before pressing her lips to his forehead. She pulled back a little alarmed. "He definitely has a fever Britt," she said, rubbing her hand up and down the boy's back.

With a pouted lip, Brittany pulled Jake back into her arms. "My poor baby," she whispered.

Santana squeezed Brittany's knee before rising. She leaned down and brushed her hands through Jake's sweaty locks before kissing his forehead. "I'll go get the Tylenol," she said, sending Brittany a soft smile.

Brittany held Jake close, her own body starting to warm up from the heat protruding Jake's body. "What hurts baby?" she asked, kissing his reddened cheek.

Jake sat back on his mom's lap to meet her eyes. "My tummy and my head," he whined before snuggling back into the crook of Brittany's neck.

Brittany squeezed him tight. "Okay baby, mama went to get you some medicine," she said, running her hands up and down his back.

Moments later Santana entered with a medicine syringe full of grape flavored children's Tylenol. "Here you go buddy, open up," she said, kneeling down next to the bed.

Jake turned his head further into Brittany, obviously not wanting to cooperate.

Santana sighed, before looking to Brittany for help.

"It's grape Jakey. You like this one," Brittany tried, taking the syringe from her wife.

"It's gross," Jake whined, crawling from his mom's lap onto his bed. He sat up looking at his parents with distress.

Santana gently grabbed his hand, rubbing her fingers soothingly over it. "Baby it'll make you feel better. Why don't you hold your nose and then mommy will shoot it in your mouth," she suggested, rolling her eyes when he dramatically shook his head no.

"Do you want mommy to go get you some ginger ale and crackers? That way you can sip it as soon as the medicine goes in your mouth okay?" Brittany tried, receiving a hesitant nod from their son.

"Uh Britt, we're out of ginger ale," Santana said, knowing she drank the last one the other day. It was a favorite in their household.

Brittany pushed her lips out in thought. "Is water okay buddy?" she asked.

"No I need ginger ale," he cried, tiredly wiping at his eyes.

Brittany sighed and grabbed a tissue from his night stand before holding it up to his nose. "Blow," she said gently.

"Baby we'll get you ginger ale in the morning. Let's just do it with water tonight," Santana said, getting up to go and get the water.

"I can't do it. I can't do it," he panicked, kicking his legs against the bed.

Santana's eyes widened at the tantrum thrown in front of her. Brittany displayed a similar expression before pulling Santana to the side. "Baby will go down to 7 Eleven and grab a bottle?" she asked.

"Britt what? This is ridiculous. We have plenty of other drinks. Jake I'll go get you Coke from downstairs," she told her son.

"No," Jake screamed as if someone were murdering him.

Santana was seconds away from losing her temper, which is an improvement from her younger days.

"San please just go and get it. He doesn't feel well," Brittany said, sending her wife puppy dog eyes.

Santana sighed. She would do anything for her family, that wasn't the point. The point was the way their son was acting. "Baby why do the kids always interrupt when it's my turn," she whined, referring to their earlier activities.

Brittany smirked. "Because you always like to give first," she said.

Santana shook her head before turning to their son. "Jake I'm gonna run to the store and get ginger ale. But when I get back you need to take your medicine baby or you won't feel any better okay," she said firmly.

"Okay," Jake sniffled, grabbing onto Jellybean his stuffed dinosaur.

"I'll be back," Santana said, kissing Brittany on the cheek.

"Thanks baby," Brittany said before sitting next to their son.

* * *

><p>Santana sat at her desk, rereading her letter to Brittany's parents for the tenth time. She knew it was wrong to go behind Brittany's back and contact the people who had abandoned her wife so many years ago, but she couldn't help but want to fix things.<p>

"Mrs. Lopez-Pierce, your wife is on line one," her intercom interrupted.

Santana jumped at the intrusion before saving the document and closing it. She reached across the desk for her work phone, tapping the number one to answer her wife.

"Hey Britt," she answered cheerfully. She was in a pretty good mood considering the night before.

"Morning baby. How's work?" she asked from the kitchen table, tiredness obviously apparent in her voice. She had spent the remainder of the night in Jake's room.

"Pretty good. How's Jake doing?" Santana asked, grabbing her cell phone from her desk. She saw that she had a missed call from Brittany, hence the reason she called her work line.

"We just got back from the pediatrician. He's resting on the couch. The doctor gave him an antibiotic for stomach flu," she informed while doodling on a piece of notebook paper.

"Oh good. Is Lily feeling alright?" Santana asked, knowing once one kid got something the other would eventually catch it.

"Yeah, she's with your mother. I dropped her off before the doctor's appointment and your mom said to just keep her there and she'll bring her back tonight," Brittany said.

Santana smiled. Anytime Brittany did something out of the ordinary with Lily made her happy, made her feel like Brittany was getting better. "Nice. I'll probably be home a little earlier again tonight because not much is going on here. I have a trial at one but both parties are relatively applicable with one another so it should go smoothly," she said.

Brittany smiled. "Good because I could use a break from Mr. snotty pants here," she laughed, mostly teasing about their son. But his constant whining was taking a toll on her.

Santana frowned, worried that their son was taking advantage of Brittany. "Is he being a pain baby," she asked, knowing how much of a baby Jake was when he was sick.

"It's alright. He really doesn't feel well San. He's my baby so let me baby him. I can only imagine what he'll be like when he's fifteen and sick," she joked, picturing a muscular teenager cuddled to her chest.

Santana chuckled at the thought. "Well, I'll take over when I get home. I got to go though baby, I got to prepare for this afternoon," she said.

"Okay, call me on your way home. Love you," Brittany said sweetly.

"I will and I love you too. Tell Jakey I'm thinking about him. Talk to you later baby," she said before hanging up.

Deciding that Brittany's parents needed to at least hear about what a great woman their daughter has become, a great mother and wife, she opened back up the word document and printed it. Addressing an envelope with the Pierce's address, she neatly folded the letter, placed it inside, and sealed it. On her way out of her office she handed the letter to her secretary. "I need this out today," she informed with an 'I'm the boss, listen to me,' attitude.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you all for the great reviews. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Here's the next chapter :)

* * *

><p>With one member of the family being sick, of course the germs traveled and ended up getting everyone sick. By Thursday afternoon, Santana was bedridden, and much like her son, she was a whiny ill person.<p>

"Britt it's freezing in here," she called out from the three layers of blankets she was lying under.

Brittany walked into their bedroom carrying Lily on her hip. She had had her fill of taking care of sick individuals this week, plus herself. Seeing her wife shivering, she grabbed yet another blanket from their bedroom closet before draping it over her wife.

"San are you taking the medicine the doctor gave you? I don't understand how you could be this cold. I'm sweating here," she said, placing Lily on the bed. She removed the Pink Victoria's Secret sweat suit jacket she was wearing, leaving her in just a tank and sweat pants.

Santana eyed her daughter wearily as she crawled to Brittany's side of the bed. The little girl was in her independent stage which meant Brittany and she had to keep an extra watchful eye on her. Lily wobbly crawled to the edge of the bed.

"Britt grab her, she's making me nervous," Santana said through squinted eyes as she lifted her head from the pillow. It throbbed.

"No mama, no, no," Lily giggled, turning to shoot her mother an award winning smile to distract her from what she was doing.

Santana could only smile back at her cuteness.

"She's fine San. Lily sit back baby," Brittany said, walking to her side of the bed to block Lily from tumbling off.

Santana rolled her eyes before dramatically throwing the back of her hand against her forehead. "I feel like death," she complained, expecting Brittany to baby her, but Brittany was babied out.

"Come on Lil, let's let mama rest," she said, grabbing the little replica of herself.

Lily squirmed away, screaming "No," over and over again as Brittany carried her to the door.

"Britt don't leave me in here alone. I'm bored," Santana complained.

Brittany sighed, turning back towards her wife. "San I feel like I'm gonna pass out. Jake is hyper from getting his energy back from being sick. He's destroying the downstairs as we speak. Lily is being a whiny brat because she is getting more teeth, and you are acting like a five year old who needs a nap. I need a break. I need it," she yelled, letting out all that has been bottled up inside the past few days.

Both Santana and Lily were left with hanging mouths. Lily immediately stopped saying her mantra of 'no' and began reaching her arms out towards Santana to save her from scary Brittany. Santana sat up, holding her head because it really did hurt, and got out of bed. She walked towards Brittany, holding her arms out for Lily.

Brittany sighed, handing their daughter over to her wife. If she wasn't upset, she might have actually laughed at the expression she caused to form on their faces.

"Britt, I have the perfect solution," Santana said after a few moments of contemplative silence.

Brittany eyed her, hoping it was a practical solution. Santana smiled, nodding her head up and down at her wife.

* * *

><p>Later that night…<p>

"Quinn, I need more Ginger Ale," Santana yelled from her side of the bed, winking at Brittany who was shaking her head in laughter. "Britt too," she called.

"San, you're gonna annoy her," Brittany laughed, leaning over to rest her head on Santana's chest.

Santana only chuckled as she began to run her fingers through Brittany's tangled hair. "Baby your hair is a mess," she noted, gently pushing Brittany back so she could get up.

Brittany leaned on one arm, watching as Santana held her head as she made her way to their bathroom. "What are you doing San," she asked.

Moments later, Santana returned with one of Brittany's hairbrushes, holding it up for her wife to see. She returned to their bed where Brittany once again leaned her head back where it was. She sighed in content when Santana gently brushed through her hair, making sure to be careful with the knots.

"That feels nice San," Brittany purred, enjoying the attention she was receiving.

"Here's your freaking Ginger Ale princess," Quinn teased, entering with a tray of necessities for the girls. She set the tray on Santana's night table, shaking her head at the display in front of her. "Must be feeling a little better huh San," she asked, watching as Santana continued to brush through Brittany's hair.

Santana shot her best friend a glare before placing the brush on the night table as if to say 'happy.'

"Why'd you stop," Brittany whined, tilting her head up to pout at her wife. "Thanks Quinn," she mumbled.

Quinn smiled. "Rachel just put the kids to bed. You think you two will be good till morning?" Quinn asked.

"They better be because I have to get up and run a bakery," Rachel interrupted as she made her way into the girl's bedroom. She was anything but pleased at the moment.

Brittany winced at the comment, knowing her participation in their business had been close to nothing the past few months.

"Please, try doing this everyday and going to an office with bitchy complaints all day," Santana argued, obviously her spunk not effected by her illness.

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Which is why Finn and I will never have children," she pointed out.

Santana smirked. "You and Finn will never have anything because he is a douche bag that decided to go to war," she slipped, making every pair of eyes including her own widen.

"Santana," Brittany shouted, slapping her hand down against Santana's stomach. But the sting of Rachel's glare was more painful than the slap.

"Rach, I'm sorry, I didn't. You know how proud we are of Finn," Santana tried, stumbling over her words.

Rachel nodded her head, wiping a single tear that could only bring such dramatics from her. "It's okay Santana. I know that not everyone can the perfect marriage you two do. But Finn is doing this for his father," she started, tucking her head into Quinn as she embraced her.

Brittany glared at her wife, not believing she would stoop that low. This wasn't high school anymore.

"I know. And I'm sure he is doing his all to get back to you," she said, guilt spreading throughout her entire being.

"Yeah well like I said, I have work in the morning. I hope you feel better," she said, before making an exit.

Quinn looked after her friend in shock before turning back to her sick best friends. When she was sure Rachel was gone, she jumped on their bed, bouncing on her knees. "I cannot believe you just said that San. What were you thinking?" Quinn yelled with a disbelieving smile on her face.

Santana put both her hands to her head. "I don't know. I didn't like that she insinuated that Brittany wasn't doing anything for the bakery and that what we do all the time isn't work and it just slipped out," she rambled, knowing she had to apologize big to Rachel.

"Wow, that fever sure got to your head," Quinn laughed, playfully shoving Santana in the side.

Brittany remained quiet, knowing her wife felt bad enough as it was. She didn't need to harp on her anymore because Santana knew what she did was wrong. She gently rubbed her hand up and down the spot Quinn pressed into.

"Shit," Santana sighed, lowering her hands from her face to wrap her arms around Brittany. She was thankful her wife was being understanding because it could have totally gone the other way if Brittany was in the mood.

* * *

><p>The following week, the Lopez-Pierce's were back to their healthy self's. Santana spent the remainder of the week trying to come up with a way to make up what she said to Rachel. On her way to work one morning, she pulled into Treats for Your Sweet to mend things with her friend. She was thankful the bakery wasn't too busy when she walked in so it would give them a chance to talk. She immediately spotted Rachel behind the counter.<p>

"Hey," she said softly, cautiously approaching the counter.

Rachel looked up from buttering a bagel, sending a soft smile to her friend. "Hey."

"Can we talk a sec?" Santana asked, gesturing with her head to move somewhere more private.

Rachel looked around before nodding. "Let me just get Quinn," she said, before heading to the back.

Minutes later, they were seated in Brittany's office. Santana frowned at the idle room, Brittany not have been there in ages. She wondered if her wife even missed it.

"Santana you don't have to apologize again. I've responded to every text message you sent me this past week," Rachel sighed, just wanting them to move on from this.

Santana held her hand up. "But what I said was so stupid and completely wrong. First of all, I love you and Finn and I respect what he is doing for his father and our country. And second, when he does return from duty, I know you two would be perfect parents. You balance each other so well," Santana said from the heart, hoping it would make Rachel forgive her. Even though Rachel had already, several times

"San that's sweet really. But don't worry about it. We all slip out things we don't mean sometimes. And it really means a lot that you care so much because it makes me think back to high school when you didn't care at all," Rachel smiled, remembering the bitch Santana was in high school.

"Rach just say you forgive me. Please," she begged, not knowing what was coming over her. Since when did she care what Rachel Berry thought of her. But the answer was that she always did.

Rachel laughed, grabbing Santana into a hug. "How could I stay mad at this face," she joked, grabbing Santana's cheeks with her hand.

"Don't push it Berry," Santana joked.

* * *

><p>When Santana returned from work she was a little weary of the silence in the house as she entered. "Britt," she called out, but received no response. She walked in the kitchen to find Brittany with her head in her hands and a piece of paper lying in front of her. "Baby?" she asked questionably.<p>

Brittany looked up with raccoon eyes. She couldn't speak as she pushed the piece of paper in front of her towards Santana. Santana eyed the paper, having an idea of what it was. She didn't even have to read it to know her plan didn't work, but she did.

_**Dear Santana,**_

_**We do not wish to hear from you or your family. We do not believe in the marriage you two supposedly possess. We do not acknowledge that Brittany has given birth to bastard children and that you have taken responsibility for them instead of their rightful father. We do not want to know about their lives or Brittany's. She was given a choice many years ago and she made it. We will not change our minds so do not contact us again.**_

_**Tammy & Roger Pierce**_

Santana crumbled the letter up before throwing it back on the table. She was speechless. How could two people be so evil? She looked to Brittany who was sat in a stony silence. "Britt," she whispered helplessly.

Brittany raised her eyes to Santana before saying, "How could you do that."

Santana's eyes widened. "What?" she asked shocked at who Brittany's anger was directed towards.

"Everything was going perfect. We were all doing so well and you had to contact them. What the hell were you thinking Santana," Brittany yelled while slamming her hands down on the table.

Santana's anger was fueled as well. "First of all I contacted them for you, my wife because I see how miserable you are about them not being in your life. My only intentions were to make you happy so I don't know why you're getting all up in my face," she started, building walls up like she used to before she became a mature adult.

Brittany sighed, shaking her head. "I didn't ask you to do that," she yelled back, her breathing starting to pick up.

"Britt I'm sorry your parents are assholes but this really isn't my fault. It's not my fault you're upset right now," Santana continued, not like the fact that everyone was blaming her lately.

"It is your fault because I would have never read this hateful letter if you didn't contact them," she said, her anger beginning to turn into hurt. She turned her head from Santana so she wouldn't see the tears beginning to stream down her face again.

Santana sighed deeply, just staring at her wife. Biting her lip, she decided she needed to comfort Brittany right now because everything she was saying was out of hurt not anger. She knew Brittany had to have been feeling a multitude of emotions from reading that letter. She walked over to her wife and knelt in front of her, placing her hands on Brittany's thighs.

"Britt it's not your fault baby. It's all them. They are the ones that are wrong," she whispered, rubbing her hands up and down Brittany's shaking thighs.

Brittany met Santana's eyes before whispering, "Why do they hate me so much," before a sob erupted from her throat.

Santana shed tears of her own, pulling Brittany down into her lap. She gently rocked them back and forth, pressing kisses into the side of Brittany's head. "You've done nothing wrong Britt," she repeated over and over because truthfully she didn't understand how Brittany's parents could be so hateful. Brittany was the most beautiful person she knew, inside and out.

* * *

><p>"Did she sleep at all?" Quinn asked over coffee the next morning. Santana stopped by the bakery to drop off all the goods Brittany had baked the night before. Santana had guessed she wanted a distraction.<p>

"Not really no. She just shut down and decided that the bakery needed scones, muffins, and whatever else is in all those boxes," Santana said with wide eyes. She was still in shock herself about the letter.

"Santana is Brittany on speed? How many things did she bake last night," Rachel asked, entering from the back room.

Santana gave her a small smile, knowing that was anything but the case. "No. She's was a little upset last night," Santana said, taking a sip of her coffee to hide behind.

Rachel looked confused. "Why I told you I forgive you. Did you not tell her," Rachel said, bringing the attention right back to herself like she normally would.

"No Rachel. She got a letter from her parents after I had contacted them. Really it was addressed to me, but she got to it before I could read it. It wasn't good," Santana said solemnly.

"Oh dear," Rachel said sadly. She knew how hard it was for Brittany.

"Yeah so now we're back to square one," Santana sighed before getting up from her chair. "I have to get home. I took the day off to keep an eye on Britt. Although don't tell her that if it ever comes up," she said to her friends.

"San I'm sure everything will be fine. She's gotten through it before. Maybe she just needed last night to vent it out," Quinn said, trying to comfort her friend.

"We'll see," Santana sang, smiling gently to her friends before leaving.

* * *

><p>Santana walked in the house just in time to catch Brittany putting jackets on the children. "Where are you going babe?" she asked, kneeling down to help Jake zipper his up.<p>

"Oh good you're home. We were waiting for you. Since you have the day off, I figured we could do something fun as a family," she said with a cheery tune.

Santana eyed her cautiously, not knowing if this was a good sign or bad. "Cool. What'd you have in mind?" she asked while putting on her best excited smile.

"The water park," Jake shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"Wa wa," Lily yelled after her brother, laughing from all the excitement.

"It's too cold for the water park guys," Brittany laughed, "I was thinking we could go to the aquarium. You know that new one they just build in Bushnell," she said.

Santana narrowed her eyes. "Baby that's over two hours away," she said clenching her back teeth together. A two hour drive was the last thing she wanted right now.

"Aquarium," Jake shouted, much more excited with the idea of going somewhere he's never been.

Brittany laughed, turning back to her wife. "So it's only ten in the morning. We have the whole day," she reasoned, leaning over to peck Santana on the cheek.

Santana sighed. Leave it to her family to turn her into melted butter. "Okay I'm in. We better pack some stuff for them for the ride," she said before adding, "and for you to miss ants in your pants," she joked.

"One step ahead of you San," she prompted, lifting the bag of goodies from the floor filled with DVDs, coloring books, magazines, and snacks.

Santana smiled genuine. She loved her wife.

* * *

><p>"Mommy are we there yet?" Jake asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.<p>

Brittany turned from her magazine, gently smiling at her son in the back of their Range Rover. "Almost baby," she cooed.

Santana laughed to herself, never expected this is what her and Brittany's lives would have wound up like. She wouldn't change it for the world though. She took a glance to her wife, smiling at the sight in front of her. Brittany noticed her staring and turned to her wife.

"What?" she asked shyly. She'll never get used to that enamored stare Santana throws her way.

Santana only smiled brighter, reaching over to grasp Brittany's hand. "You're perfect," she whispered before turning her head back to the road.

Brittany blushed, never have felt the amount of love she gets from Santana from anyone else, not even her parents. She will never regret the choice she made to marry Santana because no one would have made her as happy as she is now. She lifted their clasped hands and pressed her lips into Santana's. "You're perfect," she whispered back dreamily.

* * *

><p>"Mama look at those aliens," Jake yelled excitedly, grasping Santana's hand to pull her over to the glass window.<p>

The parents of the family next to them shot Santana an 'awwed' face at the cuteness of her son. Santana smiled back before looking at what her son was pointing at. She smiled when she realized what the aliens were. "Those are Jellyfish baby," she explained, lifting him in her arms so he could see better.

"Cool. They're all slimy looking," he noted, turning his head to find his other mom. "Mommy look at the Jellyfish," he yelled across the room.

Brittany turned from where she and Lily were looking at a school of fish. Smiling, she grabbed Lily's hand and walked over to the rest of her family. The same set of parents noticed that both set of girls were referred to as moms and Santana immediately expected judgment but instead she received, "Your family is adorable," from the mother.

"Thank you. Yours is as well," she complimented back, before turning towards her wife. "This was a good idea Britt," she whispered in her ear before kissing her temple.

Brittany smiled, leaning into Santana's shoulder. "Yeah I get them every once in a while," she joked, causing Santana to shake her head with laughter.

"Mommy, Mama, look a shark," Jake exclaimed, bouncing himself up and down in Santana's hold to get their attention.

Brittany leaned down to pick Lily up so she could see as well. "Look Lil a shark," she said, brushing the blonde bangs away from her daughter's face.

"Ark," she said excitedly, pressing her face against the glass.

Both moms smiled adoringly at their children before sending a look of love towards one another. The family continued to enjoy the aquarium, and on the way out both mom's arms were filled with souvenirs for their children.

* * *

><p>"So baby we didn't really talk about the letter yesterday. I know you're not okay with it, but are you gonna be able to let it go?" Santana asked as they got ready for bed that night. She didn't want to ruin their day by bringing it up, but she wouldn't be able to sleep if she didn't know if Brittany was going to be okay or not.<p>

Brittany raised her eyes in the bathroom mirror. Taking a moment to moisturize her skin before answering her wife. "There's no point in obsessing over it babe. They're not gonna change and I'm not gonna change so the only thing is to keep on doing what I'm doing," Brittany said quietly, as if she thought long and hard about that answer. Which she did the night before when she was becoming the world's fastest baker. She hoped that the items she baked were edible because by four o'clock she couldn't even recall what she was baking.

Santana stared proudly at her wife. Here she thought Brittany was going to have another breakdown, and yet here she's stood totally together. Smiling she stood behind Brittany, wrapping her arms around Brittany's front in a tight hold.

"I'm so proud of you Britt. I really can't explain how amazing you truly are. I admire you so much baby. I love you so much," she whispered sincerely into her ear.

Brittany watched them in the mirror. She could remember when they were sixteen in the same position and she couldn't help but smile at how far they've come, how much they've accomplished not only on a visual level, but internally as well. Turning in Santana's arms, she molded their bodies back together in a tight embrace, burying her head in the crook of Santana's neck. "I love you so much too San, I really do," she whispered, kissing the crook of her neck.

Santana rocked them back and forth soothingly, pressing Brittany as close as she could to her body. She wanted them to feel like one, feel like no one could harm them. Sighing, she pulled back slightly to brush the hair out of Brittany's eyes. "Let me make love to you," she whispered vulnerably, needing to be more emotionally connected rather than physically.

Brittany stared into the brown orbs she loved so much before gently lifting her hands up towards the ceiling. "Only if you let me make love to you," she replied a sweetly.

Santana slid her hands up Brittany's shirt, feeling the heat of her skin, before raising the shirt over her head. She then ran her fingers down the sides of Brittany's raised hands, over her arms, down her sides, and rested them on her waist where she tugged Brittany towards her. Her arms wrapped around Brittany's back as she pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She pushed her tongue into Brittany's mouth, using her hands to unclasp her wife's bra. "You're so beautiful Britt. After all these years you still are so breathtaking to me baby," she said with ragged breath as their lips continued to press into one another's.

Brittany moaned at the compliment, pulling back from the kiss to catch her wife's eyes. "And you still turn me on with just the touch of your hands grazing my skin," she whispered sincerely, locking eyes with Santana before reaching for the bottom of her shirt.

Santana blushed like she normally did when Brittany paid her a compliment, raising her arms so Brittany could remove her shirt. Brittany moaned at the lacy bra underneath, loving the fact that Santana wore nothing but sexy undergarments no matter what day of the week it was. She leaned into Santana, kissing around her cleavage before up her chest. As she kissed her way to Santana's neck, she gently removed each bra strap one by one.

"Britt," Santana gasped, lulling her head back as Brittany kissed her in all her favorite spots.

Brittany smiled, reaching down to unbutton Santana's jeans. She then reached around Santana's back, dipping her hands under her jeans and panties to grab onto flesh. "Mmm," she groaned, giving a little squeeze before removing both articles of clothing with one pull.

Santana smiled at the playfulness in Brittany's demeanor, them not having done it this way in a while. She took her turn feeling up her wife's bottom before both were left standing in their master bathroom naked. "Bed?" Santana asked, pushing Brittany back towards the door but Brittany shook her head no.

"Nope. Counter," she said sexily, pushing Santana towards the bathroom counter and hoisting her on top of it.

Santana gulped in anticipation, feeling like she was in high school all over again. She leaned back against the mirror as Brittany kissed down her neck, to her breasts where she paid each one equal amount of attention. Her eyes rolled back as Brittany's teeth lightly bit at her nipples, reaching out to grab at her blonde locks. "Oh my god," she whispered.

Brittany smiled, loving making Santana feel good. She kept moving down, kissing around Santana's belly button, dipping her tongue inside which cause Santana to lurch forward. Brittany smirked continuing down, past her lower stomach and straight for the place needed most which was a complete surprise to Santana, expecting the pace to still be set slow. She gripped Brittany's hair tighter, panting at the feeling of her wife's tongue exploring her most intimate area, and area that has been mastered yet still feels amazing every time they do this. Her head slammed back against the mirror causing Brittany to pause and look up. "Keep going," Santana begged, wanting Brittany to continue with her ministrations.

Brittany chuckled before grabbing onto Santana's thighs to scoot her further to the edge of the counter. She kissed around her wife's thighs before returning to her center.

"Britt fingers baby please," she begged, feeling like she was gonna rip Brittany's hair out. She tried to ease on her pulling, but every time Brittany hit a sensitive nerve, she yanked.

Brittany ticked her middle and pointer finger up Santana's thigh before placing it at the wet heat. She teased around the opening before gently sliding them upward which caused a loud moan to erupt from Santana. "Yes, yes, yes," she chanted, rocking her hips in time with Brittany's fingers.

Brittany continued to pleasure her wife, feeling as she too could let go just by the noises coming out of Santana's mouth. She knew she had found the fire exploding spot when Santana's hips jumped towards her. "I'm almost there," she whispered, pulling Brittany closer to her body. She felt like her body was about to explode and it did seconds later. She rocked her hips until the feeling settled, falling back against the mirror in pure bliss.

Brittany smiled at her accomplishment, standing up to kiss Santana's forehead. "See it's always a success when you receive first," she teased about their discussion of them always being intruppted by the kids.

Santana shot her a dopey smile, still coming off her high of pure pleasure. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against Brittany's. "Yeah, well I'm about to prove that theory wrong," she said smiling, pushing off the counter to swap spots with Brittany.

Brittany's smile turned into a pleasurable grunt as Santana went straight for the gold. "Oh my god," she shouted, making Santana's smirk remain for the rest of the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you again to everyone for such nice reviews**

**So Yours: Thank you for the review. I never really said it, but I'd like to think half and half as well. Brittany's parents are unaware of how the children were created, just that Brittany carried the pregnancies and feels that because Brittany carried and delivered them that they are truly hers. I try to mention similarities between both parents. If you go back to the fist chapter I think I wrote that Jake has blonde hair and brown eyes. Thank you for the interest in my story**

**Sully: I truly appreciate your nice review. Thank you for noticing the character development, pacing of the story, and for trusting my writing I hope you like this next chapter.**

**Nayalove: Thank you so much! Although Santana's about to get a little more frustrated in this chapter**

* * *

><p>Spring came before they knew it, and the bakery began to get busier than ever. Santana decided to take a leave of absence from work due to her high stress levels and so Brittany could go back to work. Her boss was more than accommodating for the fact that she was his only brains in the company. The last thing he needed was her to burn out from stress. She finished the cases she could and pushed the ones she couldn't off on her colleagues.<p>

Life was once again good for the couple. Santana enjoyed waking up with the kids every morning, getting them ready, feeding them breakfast, and just spending time with them. She loved doing simple things like taking care of the house and going grocery shopping. It was a nice change from what she had been doing.

Brittany was enjoying her work as well. She could deal with not waking up so early, but once she was there she made the best of her days. She loved becoming close with Quinn and Rachel again and dealing with customer orders and baking up a storm. She felt good about leaving Lily, especially now since she was hitting the terrible twos early on. But most of all, she loved that she felt normal again.

On her way into the bakery one morning she walked in to find Rachel dancing around the shop singing some Barbra Streisand song. She hadn't heard her sing since Finn had left for war and to see her dancing like a crazy fool was something she had missed. Smiling, she walked in further.

"What's going on?" she asked, startling the off Broadway diva.

Rachel grabbed her heart. "You scared me," she started but immediately smiled after. "Guess what? Guess what? Guess what," she yelled, grabbing Brittany by the arms to yank them up and down.

Brittany's eyes widened in confusion. "Please don't tell me you're gonna leave the bakery again and go to Broadway," she concluded from the production she walked into.

Rachel ignored her friend's confused nature. "Brittany, Finn is coming home Friday. For good," she exclaimed, gripping the girl's arms tighter.

Brittany's jaw dropped before saying, "This Friday?"

Rachel smiled nodding her head up and down. "He didn't want to tell me until now because he knows how impatient I am. He's known for a couple months. Now we can live like a normal couple," she said with a mega watt smile.

"Rachel this is the best news ever. Well for you anyway," she said, knowing there have been greater things in her own life. She pulled Rachel into a hug and began jumping up and down. "We have to throw him a welcome home party," she said.

"One step ahead of you B. Saturday night, dinner and drinks at my place," Quinn interrupted as she made her way from the back after hearing Rachel's excitement.

"Excellent. I'll have to ask San's parents if they can babysit," Brittany said.

Rachel smiled. She had never felt as happy as she was at that moment.

"I've got to go tell Santana," Brittany said happily, making her way back towards her office.

"Britt, wait," Rachel started, walking towards her friend. "Will you make a cake for Saturday night?" she asked, knowing one of Brittany's cakes would thrill Finn. He hasn't had one in so long.

Brittany smiled. "Of course. Actually I have the perfect idea," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

* * *

><p>Saturday night…<p>

"Baby this thing is a masterpiece. We shouldn't even eat it, it belongs in a museum or something," Santana praised as she studied the cake Brittany had made for Finn.

Brittany laughed, sneaking behind her wife to hug her from behind. "You're biased," she teased, even though she loved when Santana complimented her work. It made her feel like she really was talented.

"No she's right Britt. This cake is amazing. If I didn't miss your cakes so much I'd display it," Finn laughed, squeezing Brittany's shoulder before dipping his finger in the icing.

Santana frowned. "Watch it Lurch, we need a picture of it first," she complained, shoving him away from the cake.

Finn only smiled, missing their what he liked to call playful banter. He would take Santana being rude to him any day over what he had been through the past years. He turned back to the cake, admiring the way Brittany really captured the moment. The cake was in three circular tiers, one red, one white, and one blue with fondant stars placed around it. On top was a replica of Finn in uniform made from molding chocolate stepping off a military plane. A replica of Rachel was waiting with open arms carrying a sign saying welcome home. Surrounding her were all of Finn's favorite things like footballs, a video game system, a microphone stand etc. also made from molding chocolate.

"Santana do you think you could go one night without insulting my husband," Rachel argued, making her way into the dining room with cake forks and plates.

Santana smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"It's okay Rach. I kind of missed it. Missed all of this," he admitted, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

Rachel sighed and placed the dishware on the table before sitting down. Quinn and Puck entered carrying cups of coffee. Once everyone was seated they began to chow down on Brittany's cake.

"So good," Finn said with a mouthful, laughing at the disgusted face on Rachel.

Brittany blushed. She knew she was a good baker, but she didn't think she was Paula Dean. In high school the only class she felt she excelled in was baking. She took every baking class possible and aced through them like no one else. She won every high school baking competition and was asked by many students' parents to bake cakes for occasions for them.

After her parents had disowned her, she didn't think school was even an option after high school. She knew her grades would never get her into a good college like Santana, and her only other talent was dancing. There were many performing arts schools that would take her, but she didn't want to leave Santana. Santana always told her she should be on stage dancing her heart out, but she chose Santana over that dream. The minute the Pastry Academy offered her a scholarship, she took it without even talking to Santana about it. After years of working hard long hours, she was able to purchase her own bakery with the help of her wife, Quinn, and Rachel.

"Thank you," she said quietly, earning her a confused glance from her wife.

Santana eyed Brittany cautiously. After years of being together, she could read her like a book. She knew Brittany never felt accomplished when it came to baking because it came so easy to her. It was the only thing in life she didn't have struggle with. Santana had always pictured them living in Los Angeles, Brittany on stage and her in some big law firm making billions off celebrity marriages. When Brittany had told her she turned down every performing arts school she was accepted into, it made her furious. But with all that had happened with Brittany's parents, she gave her time. But giving her time had only pushed her further away from the dancing world.

Santana had struggled as well after high school. She was a smart girl, but there were a lot of smart people at her college and she often felt intimidated by the competition. She knew her and Brittany would have never made without the support of her parents. They funded them both an apartment and never asked for the money back. Things were hard in the beginning of their marriage until she received her law degree. She didn't feel worthy of Brittany until that piece of paper was in her hands.

"So did no one notice Puck's crap laying around," Quinn joked, gesturing with her hands to numerous 'guy' things lying around her house.

Puck smirked, sticking his finger in some icing before dabbing it on Quinn's nose.

Santana smiled, loving the fact that her friends were coming together again.

"Puck did you move back in?" Brittany asked excitedly, jumping up from her chair to hug him around the neck.

"I did," he grinned, squeezing her arms.

"I knew it was gonna happen, I knew it," she cheered, moving over to Quinn to kiss her cheek.

Everyone laughed, sending their congratulations from their seats. Brittany took her seat again, grabbing Santana's hand under the table and smiling at her. Santana leaned over and pecked her lips, happy that Brittany was happy.

Finn smiled, then realized something. "Hey I still need to meet Lily."

* * *

><p>"Say Uncle Finn, Uncle Finn," Finn repeated, holding Lily up to his face.<p>

She shot him a flirty smile, leaning towards him to kiss his cheek. The room awed, making her giggle.

"She loves her Uncle Finn, don't you Lil," Brittany laughed, patting her on her bottom.

"Finn," she yelled, raising her arms in the arm.

Everyone clapped and Santana noticed Rachel gleaming in the corner. She walked over, taking her by the arm and led her into her office down the hall. Brittany and Finn continued to play with the children, not even realizing their disappearance.

"Santana what are you doing?" Rachel asked, once they got inside.

Santana smiled. "I see it. I see it on your face," she laughed before taking a seat on top of her desk.

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "See what?"

"You want a baby. And I totally think you guys should go for it. I mean now's the perfect time," she said, surprising even herself how excited she was about this.

Rachel held up her hand. "Hold on. I told you Finn and I don't want children. We're too selfish to be parents. You know that," she said crossing her arms across her chest.

"What are you talking about? You're both great with children," she yelled, attitude rising in her voice. She hated when Rachel argued back and forth with her. It annoyed her to no end.

"No Santana," Rachel yelled, turning to leave, but Santana caught her arm.

"What the hell Rachel," Santana said, squinting her eyes in confusion.

Rachel whipped her head around. "We can't. We can't get pregnant with each other. We've tried. The doctor said we could have babies with other partners, but for some reason our parts or whatever doesn't match up. We can't have children Santana. There are you happy I said it," she yelled, causing Santana to retract her arm.

"Rach," she said softly, not knowing what to say.

Rachel turned her head to the side, tears making their way down her face. "It's alright. We've gotten over it," she whispered, reaching her hand up to wipe away the tears.

Santana shook her head, reaching out to pull the girl into her arms. Rachel wrapped herself into Santana, knowing this opportunity would be rare. "We've known for a while obviously but it was just easier to tell everyone that we don't want children," she admitted.

Santana rocked them back and forth gently, rubbing her hand up and down Rachel's back.

* * *

><p>"Why didn't they tell us?" Brittany asked from her side of the bed that night. She was still in shock at the information Santana had told her.<p>

Santana sighed, reaching over to cup Brittany's cheek. "Lots of reasons baby. They just didn't know how to deal with it though," she said rubbing her finger across Brittany's cheek.

"I can't believe this. She's been holding that in for so long and we never even noticed. I just don't understand," she whispered, a few tears falling from her eyes.

Santana scooted closer, leaning her head against Brittany chest and stroking her hand up and down her arm. The two sat in silence, both caught in their own thoughts.

Brittany leaned her head into Santana while gently running her fingers through her hair. "Maybe they could adopt," she thought aloud, raising her head from Santana.

Santana smiled. "Britt I'm sure they know their options. It's not our business baby. Whatever they decide we'll be there, but we're not gonna pump information at them. Imagine how you would have felt if they butted in about James," she said, thinking that now wouldn't be a sore subject for her wife.

Brittany pulled away, shooting a glare to her wife. "That's different Santana," she said, her words cold and bitter.

Santana sat up and leaned back against her pillow. "Britt I'm just saying that sometimes it's better to let people deal with their own problems," she said shortly, not liking the attitude she was receiving from Brittany. She reached over to turn off the lamp on her night table.

Brittany sneered, reaching for her light as well. "Yeah look how good that did us," she mumbled before roughly turning away from Santana.

Santana let out a deep sigh, staring at the alarm clock on her night table while darkness surrounded them. She wanted to snap at that comment, but she didn't. The entire night consisted of them tirelessly sighing back and forth with little sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning Brittany made sure to make a lot of noise around their room as she got ready. If she wasn't going to get to sleep, neither was Santana. She roughly opened and closed her drawers, pulling out her attire for the day.<p>

Santana jumped up at the slamming of something. She squinted her eyes, looking around the room for the noise. When she saw Brittany moving around the room like a crazy person, she rolled her eyes and dropped her head back to her pillow. "Very mature" she called out.

Brittany ignored her and continued to loudly get dressed.

* * *

><p>"Mama looked I spelled my name," Jake yelled from the kitchen table that afternoon. Santana had pulled out paper and crayons for the kids to draw on while she prepared dinner.<p>

"Jakey not so loud baby. Mama has a headache," Santana said from the island counter as she cut up cucumbers for a salad.

"Mama look I spelled my name," he repeated in a whisper causing Santana to laugh.

She walked around the counter to inspect his work. On the paper read Jake Lopez Pierce. He was going to do great in Kindergarten the next year. "Excellent job bud. Keep up the good work," she said proudly, kissing him on top of his head before walking over to Lily's highchair.

"Beautiful Lil," she acknowledged at the purple scribbles across the page.

Lily smiled up at her mother before putting the crayon towards her mouth. Santana shot her a disapproving look, so the crayon went back to the paper.

"Good job Lily," she whispered, pecking her cheek.

As she made her way back towards the counter, the front door opened. Jake raised his head from his paper excitedly. "Mommy's home," he yelled, jumping off the chair and racing to the front door.

Brittany smiled as she was ambushed by her son, lifting him into her arms as she made her way into the kitchen. "Hi Baby," she said, kissing his cheeks over and over again. She placed him back in his chair before noticing his work. "Awesome job Jake Lopez-Pierce," she said happily.

Santana rolled her eyes from the counter, continuing to chop up vegetables for the salad. She was still annoyed with Brittany and hadn't talked to her all day.

Brittany kissed Lily hello before walking behind the counter next to Santana. She watched her chop for a moment before gently cupping her hand on Santana's shoulder.

Santana stopped what she was doing and looked up to her wife as if to say 'what the hell do you want?'

Brittany sighed realizing Santana was still pissed. "San I'm sorry for acting like a brat last night. You didn't deserve my attitude," she apologized, leaning in to kiss her wife's cheek.

Santana pulled away. "Yeah well I'm sorry I have a headache because I didn't sleep all night," she snapped before piling the vegetables together and throwing them into a bowl.

Brittany bit her bottom lip, nodding her head up and down at Santana's reaction. Sighing, she went back over to their kids to give Santana the space she obviously needed.

Santana continued to cook in silence while Brittany helped the kids clean up and set the table. She forced herself not to smile at how cute Brittany was with the kids and it eventually was starting to get to her. Before they sat down to dinner, she pulled Brittany into a hug. "I accept your apology," she whispered before kissing her temple.

Brittany smiled, snuggling into Santana's embrace. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>"So how's things been going with Puck being home?" Santana asked over drinks a few nights later. Her and Quinn decided to meet up after not having seeing one another for a few days.<p>

Quinn smiled, sipping her margarita. "Well the kids couldn't be happier. I don't think I've had to yell at them once since he's been home," she laughed.

Santana grinned shaking her head. "And you?" she asked.

Quinn paused smiling into space. "I've never been happier as well," she admitted bashfully.

Santana held up her glass for them to cheers. "I so happy for you Quinn. You deserve it," she said clinking her glass into Quinn's.

"Yeah let's just hope it stays this way," she said, being her usual worried self.

"There's ups and downs no matter what Q. Things can't be peachy keen all the time. You know that," Santana said, not wanting her friend to set her hopes too high.

"I know. I just don't want him to stray again. I mean that's my only fear. At least with you and Brittany, you both know neither one of you would ever cheat. It isn't in the cards with you guys," Quinn said with a hint of jealously.

"Me and Britt aren't what you should be going by. Yes we are one of the many rare happy always in love couples, but we have our faults too. Everyone does," she lectured.

"I can't believe the letter the Pierce's sent," Quinn said sadly, changing the subject. She hadn't brought it up with Santana yet.

Santana narrowed her eyes. "Britt told you? That was months ago Q," she said, not knowing why it was being brought up now.

"I know but we never really talked about it. Britt told me and even though I could see her hurt, she wouldn't say it. I didn't know whether she was really okay or just saying it," Quinn admitted.

Santana sighed. "Of course she'll never be okay with it. But I think Tina has helped her deal with a lot of her issues with that. We don't really talk about it, but from what she tells me her and Tina touch on that," Santana said while swiping her finger over the rim of the glass to remove the salt.

"It's so weird that Tina is both of our psychiatrists. She really is helpful though. Who knows if Puck and I would be where we're at without her," Quinn laughed.

"Yeah well she better be helpful for what I'm paying," Santana said, before adding, "But Britt's been doing so great, I'd pay anything."

"Yeah she's been doing great at the bakery. She's flying through orders and still having time to help up front," Quinn said.

Santana smiled. "I think she feels a little guilty for when she wasn't there. I'm glad she's into it now though. I would hate to see her lose her creative outlet. Another one anyway," she said still feeling guilt after all these years about Brittany's dancing.

Quinn grabbed Santana's hand across the table. "That wasn't her passion San," she said sincerely.

"No baking was what she was good at but dancing was her passion," Santana recoiled.

Quinn smiled. "You've always been her passion San," she said.

Santana looked at her friend with confusion before realizing what she had meant. Smiling, she shook her head before taking a sip of her drink.

* * *

><p>When Santana got home that night, Brittany was sitting in the family room watching TV. She took a seat next to her before kissing her gently on the lips. "Hey baby," she whispered as their lips parted.<p>

Brittany smiled. "Mmm you taste like Tequila," she said raising her eyebrows playfully.

Santana laughed, kissing her again before leaning back into the couch. Brittany took this opportunity to rest against her, snuggling herself into Santana's embrace. The two sat in a comfortable silence watching what was on the TV. Santana ran her fingers through Brittany's hair, leaning down every once and a while to place a kiss on her forehead.

"How was your date with Quinn," Brittany asked after a while.

Santana smiled, recalling the many topics discussed throughout the night. "It was fun. She's really happy with Puck right now so things are looking good," she said, moving her hand from Brittany's hair to rest on side.

Brittany smiled sleepily. "That's good," she whispered while closing her eyes.

"Yeah it is," Santana whispered back, knowing Brittany was close to falling asleep. She gently pushed them up. "Come on, let's go to bed," she said getting up and turning to help Brittany.

They slowly made their way upstairs and to into bed where they snuggled together in a peaceful sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**New Chapter. I hope you like it :)**

* * *

><p>"Mama I can't find Jelly Bean," Jake yelled from outside the hallway of the upstairs floor of their house. It was the middle of the week and Brittany had been busy at the bakery leaving Santana home with the children.<p>

Santana sighed. She was in the middle of getting ready and was just about to apply her mascara when the case of the lost dinosaur began… again. "I swear that thing gets lost more than anything I've ever known," she mumbled, slamming the tube of mascara on her vanity. "Coming Jake," she called with a bit of irritation. The whole week had been filled with tantrums by both Jake and Lily. She almost considered hiring a babysitter so both she and Brittany could go back to work, but she knew Brittany would have a conniption. So she had to put her work on the back burner for now.

The pair searched the entire house top to bottom. They checked Jelly Bean's usual hiding places like the hamper, under the couch, or out on the back deck, but he was nowhere to be found. Jake had had the stuffed toy since birth and was extremely attached to it. When Santana saw the house was literally torn apart she began to get angry. She had just spent the previous day cleaning and organizing everything.

"Jake where was the last place you had it," she said, beginning to get frustrated. She rose from her knelt position on the floor to look the boy in the eyes.

Jake frowned, not liking the way his mother was looking at him. "He mama. Jelly Bean is a person like you and me," he yelled, showing both attitude and innocence which evolved from his parents.

Santana placed her hands on her hips. "Jake we'll look for him later okay. Now I have to clean all this up," she argued back and began picking up the random things out of place from their search.

Jake stood for a moment, taking in what his mother had told him. The only thing on his mind was the lost dinosaur and not the state of the house. He knew when things got messy his mothers would just clean it up. He didn't understand why Santana was putting the search on a hold. His face began to get hot and his cheeks red. "I hate you," he yelled out, not realizing the impact of his words. He had heard some kids on the playground saying it to a kid the other day when the kid wouldn't give them back their basketball.

Santana's head snapped towards Jake to make sure she heard him right. "What?" she asked on edge.

Jake crossed his arms over his chest, showing his mother that he was just as mad. "I hate you," he repeated.

Hurt washed across Santana's face momentarily before it was replaced with anger. She moved towards Jake to grab his arm. "Get up to your room," she said as patiently as she could.

Jake tried yanking his arm from his mother but her hold was stronger. "I need to find Jelly Bean," he said while trying to squirm away.

Santana breathed deeply through her nose as she dragged him towards the stairs. She didn't want to cry in front of him and the only emotion that would release was anger. "Get up in your room now," she screamed gently pushing him towards the staircase.

Now scared, he took one last look at his mother before following her orders. He stomped all the way up the steps mumbling a mantra of hatred toward Santana. Santana stood at the bottom completely defeated. It wasn't until Lily began calling for her that she realized how much time had gone by standing in that one spot. Jake had never said that to anyone. She climbed the staircase, glaring at Jake's closed bedroom door before heading to Lily's.

Walking in, she couldn't help but smile at the predicament Lily had herself in. The little tot had herself hanging butt first out of the crib either stuck or too afraid to climb all the way down. She had been making it a habit of trying to climb out herself lately. Santana made a grab for her, tickling her sides once she was placed on her hip.

"Looks like someone might need to get their very first bed huh," she whispered while caressing the little girl's cheeks.

Lily's eyes lit up at the idea. "No crib," she yelled enthusiastically, which was a better reaction from when Jake got his first bed. She and Brittany had to take turns sleeping with him for four months before he would on his own.

Santana smiled. "Yup no more crib big girl," she said before kissing Lily's forehead. "Come on, let's clean up before mommy gets home," she said and headed downstairs.

* * *

><p>Brittany walked into the house later that night completely exhausted. She had been working non-stop since she walked into the bakery that morning. It was the end of the school year and they were overbooked with specialty cakes for graduations. Walking further in, she was surprised to find Santana with her feet up sipping a glass of wine on the family room couch.<p>

"Rough day?" she asked with a smile before leaning down to peck her wife hello. She grimaced at the taste of red wine on Santana's lips. She preferred white.

Santana rolled her eyes and lowered the volume on the TV. "You have no idea. Did you know our son says 'I Hate You' now," she said with a hint of resentment for being the first parent to hear those words.

Brittany's eyes widened. She sat on the edge of the couch in front of Santana and gently grabbed the hand that wasn't holding her wine glass. She knew Santana was all talk but when it came to being hurt she was like a little baby duckling. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Santana sighed and put her glass on the side table. She pulled Brittany in closer so they could hug. "That stupid dinosaur got lost again and he threw a fit," she explained before saying, "Just hug me," she whispered, her tone expressing defeat. She had had a long day and wanted nothing now except her wife holding her so she felt safe.

Brittany maneuvered them so she was lying next to Santana and pulled her wife into a strong embrace. She didn't have the heart to tell Santana that she had seen Jelly Bean in the backseat of her car.

Santana rested against Brittany's chest, smiling at the familiar scent of vanilla extract. "You smell good enough to eat," she whispered affectionately.

Brittany stroked her fingers through Santana's hair and the two enjoyed the serenity of the moment.

"Finn stopped by to help out today. Him and Rachel got in a big fight in front of the customers," Brittany laughed as she tried to distract Santana from her bad day.

Santana chuckled. "Of course they did," she mumbled into Brittany's chest. "What happened?" she asked, tilting her head up to look at her wife.

Brittany smiled. "Let's just say that if you had been there too, things would have gotten even uglier. It was like me, Quinn, and Finn against Rachel and Puck," she started, shaking her head at the memories.

"What?" Santana asked while squinting her eyes at the thought of Rachel and Puck being on sides.

Brittany laughed. "Yeah I know right. Finn was helping Puck deliver and he got two of the orders mixed up. Well Puck and Rachel went ballistic and started going off on him about how he's making the business look incompetent and stuff. I mean were not in competition with anybody," she said with a confused face.

Santana laughed. "Baby they meant he's making the business look bad," she said leaning up to peck Brittany's lips before resuming her comfortable position.

Brittany stared off to the side to think about what Santana said. 'Well that makes more sense," she thought.

"Well me and Quinn yelled at them for making him feel bad because it's not like he works with us all the time. I mean he just got back from the army," she said in the same tone her and Quinn yelled.

"I get it baby don't worry," Santana agreed, mostly for the fact that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She just wanted to lay in silence.

Brittany quickly realized Santana wasn't in the best of moods so she ended the conversation with a nod. She used her long fingers to knead into Santana's tense neck muscles, smiling when she heard an appreciate moan from her wife.

"I'll talk to Jake in the morning," Brittany said gently making Santana's back tense up.

"Don't Britt, it's fine. If I ignore it hopefully he won't make a habit of it," she said, a hint of bitterness still in her tone.

"But San you know he didn't mean it. Kids are just brats sometimes. He loves you so much baby," Brittany pressed on, not liking the way their son was behaving.

Santana shook herself from Brittany's embrace to grab her wine glass. She tossed it back and got up from the couch. "I'm gonna go in my office for a bit. Jessica from work emailed me a few questions that I didn't respond to so," she said open-endly.

Brittany frowned. "It's almost ten o'clock San," she said.

"Well I don't have time during the day to do it so I mine as well get it done now while I'm wide awake." She didn't mean to give Brittany an attitude, but she was the only one there to take her anger out on.

Brittany saw the hurt in Santana's eyes. She knew she was probably playing the situation with Jake over and over in her head. She got up from the couch to grab Santana's hands. "Maybe we could go upstairs since your wide awake," she suggested in a sexy undertone. She leaned into Santana's neck to place kisses.

Santana stood still for a moment before gently pulling away. "I should email Jessica Britt. She may screw a case up if I don't." She looked away from Brittany's rejected face. Sighing, she quickly pecked Brittany's lips before heading to her office.

Brittany stood back both hurt and confused. Usually when Santana was mad or upset, sex was the first thing she wanted. Sighing, she shook her head before heading upstairs.

* * *

><p>Brittany walked into Jake's room early the next morning to straighten things out between him and Santana. She didn't want Jake to think it was okay to say what he did by just ignoring it like Santana suggested. She took a seat on the edge of his bed and gently ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair.<p>

"Jakey wake up sweetheart," she whispered, leaning down to kiss his warmed cheek.

Jake nuzzled his head into his pillow to try and escape waking up. The tired boy eventually woke up to the soft sounds of his mother's voice coaxing him awake. He smiled up to his mother. "Morning mommy," he said.

Brittany smiled. "Good Morning baby. Did you sleep good?" she asked, not wanting to ruin the peaceful moment they were sharing. But she knew she had to get down to business eventually.

Jake nodded into his pillow while rubbing the sleep flakes from his eyes. "Jelly Bean ran away," he whispered painfully. He had thought about it the entire night after Santana had sent him to bed after dinner with no dessert.

Brittany ran her thumb over his cheek, gently rubbing circles. "He's in my car baby. He was helping me at the bakery yesterday because I was overbooked with cakes," she told him, loving that he had the same imagination she had when she was a kid, and most of her young adult life.

Jake's eyes lit up, jumping into a sitting position. "He did?" he asked excitedly.

Brittany nodded. "Jake I want to talk to you about yesterday when you lost Jelly Bean," she started, gently taking the boys small hand in her own.

Jake looked at his mother with confusion.

"Jake I understand you were upset because Jelly Bean was missing, but do you remember what you said to mama yesterday?" she asked, not hiding the disappointment on her face.

Jake thought back to yesterday, remember his mama getting impatient and yelling at him when they couldn't find Jelly Bean. She got so mad and sent him to his room. He shook his head at Brittany, not remembering anything that was said between him and Santana yesterday because he was in such a frenzy about losing his friend.

Brittany nodded. "You told mama that you hate her yesterday," Brittany said, wincing at the shocked look on Jake's face. She didn't know if he was upset because of what he said, or if he thought he was in trouble. "Do you remember saying that?" she asked softly, rubbing his hand with gentle circles.

Jake nodded dumbly. "I didn't mean it," he whispered guilty. "She wouldn't help me find him," he continuing, figuring if he had a reason it wouldn't be as bad.

Brittany's eyes widened. "I believe mama helped you look for over an hour Jake. Was it mama's fault that he got misplaced?" she questioned, trying not to get herself upset.

"No. But he didn't tell me he was going to work with you," Jake defended.

Brittany smiled. It was times like these she wished he didn't have such an imagination because she knows Jake is the one who forgot he left the dinosaur in the car the other day. But she couldn't go with that now.

"Either way you hurt mama's feelings. Do you know how much it hurts to hear the words you said?" she asked. "You should never hate anything Jake," she added.

"Some boys on the playground were playing basketball and Johnny Solomon stole the ball from them and was teasing them. They told him that they hate him. How come they can say it?" he asked innocently.

"Just because someone does something you don't like, doesn't mean you should hate them. They didn't like what he did. That is an action. They should have said to Johnny that they didn't like that he stole the ball from them. If you did something mama or me didn't like, would you like it if we hated you for it?" she asked, a little proud of herself for coming up with a good analogy.

Jake thought about his mother's words. Before he could respond, Santana popped her head into the room with Lily hanging on her hip.

"Britt we need to get this kid a bed. She's a little monkey," she laughed while bopping Lily on the nose.

Brittany frowned. "She's too young San," Brittany said, not liking the fact that her kids were growing up.

Santana frowned back. "Well young or not she needs a bed Britt. I can't keep worrying if she's gonna fall out of the crib," she argued.

Brittany got up from Jake's bed to grab Lily from Santana. "She's not even two yet San," she said protectively.

Santana narrowed her eyes. "She will be in four months Britt. Come on," she said impatiently. She was still in a bad mood from yesterday.

Brittany met her stare before turning to their son. "Jake talk to your mother," she said before shooting daggers at Santana and leaving the room.

Santana rolled her eyes, ready to go after her wife when Jake gently grabbed her hand. Her face immediately softened as she stared down at the boy in front of her.

"I love you mama," he whispered softly while hooking his arms around his mother's side. He buried his face in her hip, hoping she would forgive him for being so mean yesterday.

Santana smiled while using both hands to run through his hair to pull his head up towards her. "I love you too baby," she said leaning down to peck his lips.

Jake smiled goofily up at his mother. "I'm sorry about what I said," he said seriously.

Santana nodded. "I forgive you Jake," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Santana walked into the kitchen in a better mood now that Jake apologized to her. However her smile dropped at the sight of Brittany slamming things around the kitchen. Sighing, she sent a helpful look to Lily in her highchair who only giggled back at her mother knowing she could do nothing to save her.<p>

"Where the heck is the tin foil?" Brittany muttered to herself, unaware of any presence except Lily.

"Top shelf, right cabinet," Santana answered while pointing the correct spot.

Brittany jumped at the voice. "Sneak up much," she said with irritation.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Jesus Christ Britt. PMS much?" she yelled back, not understanding why Brittany was in such a foul mood.

Brittany turned her head to Santana. She couldn't believe Santana would throw that line in her face when both of them were women. Sure, she could be PMSing, but that doesn't change the fact that Santana had major mood swings 24/7. Just last night she went through a whirlwind of emotions and now that everything seemed in order she was just supposed act like everything was dairy air because Santana was suddenly in a good mood.

Santana made her way to the refrigerator to pull out the milk. She dodged Brittany as much as she could to pour herself a bowl of cereal. A few minutes later Jake entered and sat at the table waiting for his breakfast. Brittany eyed Santana to see if she was going to make the kids breakfast and sighed with aggravation when her wife sat at the island with her cereal.

Santana smiled to herself, knowing Brittany was pissed that she wasn't taking care of the kids like she normally did for their morning routine. She looked triumphant when Brittany began rushing around to make the kids pancakes.

"I want chocolate chips," Jake announced excitedly before shooting his sister a funny look so she would laugh.

Brittany looked up from where she was mixing ingredients together. "No Jake. I'm making them plain today. I have to get to the bakery," she said directed the last words towards Santana who only sent a fake smile her way.

"Is Jelly Bean going with you to work again mommy?" Jake asked, not knowing that one sentence would start an even bigger war between his parents.

Brittany heard Santana's spoon slam in the bowl. She looked to her wife, not understanding the over exaggerated gesture. Then she thought back to her son's words.

"The dinosaur was with you?" she asked incredulously. Smiling she shook her head back and forth before bringing her nearly full bowl to the sink.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "It's not like I had him on purpose. Jake left him in my car," she said pointedly.

"No Mommy you said he was helping you at the bakery," Jake interrupted.

Santana looked to her son before back to her wife. "I was up all night worrying about where that stupid stuffed Dino was," she yelled, slamming the bowl into the sink.

Everyone jumped at her actions. Brittany grabbed Santana's shoulder firmly. "Calm down Santana. It's not a big deal," she said, not wanting to scare the kids.

Santana stared into Brittany's eyes before turning to her children. "Sorry guys," she mumbled before heading for the stairs. Brittany looked after her, wondering why she was being so hostile lately. Sighing, she turned back to the mixture in front of her. "I'll put some chocolate chips in Jakey," she said.

* * *

><p>Brittany walked into their bedroom in a hurry. She was already running late and she still had to shower. She barely acknowledged Santana sulking on their bed on her laptop before grabbing her undergarments and heading into their bathroom.<p>

"The kids are fed," she called on her way in. She quickly turned on the shower and grabbed a couple towels from the lien closet next to the toilet. She began removing her clothes and throwing them in the wicker laundry basket next to the sink. Just as she was about to enter the shower, she felt a hand touch her bare shoulder.

"Jeez," she jumped, turning to find Santana behind her.

Santana smiled gently, hoping to bring a peace offering to the table. She pulled her hand back and moved back to strip her shirt.

Brittany eyed her curiously. "What are you doing?" she asked, knowing the kids shouldn't be left alone downstairs.

Santana pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it behind her making it land in the sink. "Showering with you," she answered while removing her pajama shorts.

Brittany held her hand up. "San no, the kids are downstairs by themselves," she said, plus she was still angry with her from before.

Santana continued to remove her pajamas. "They'll be okay for a few minutes," she said sexily advancing on her. She wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist and began peppering her back with kisses. She needed to get her frustration out.

Brittany stood tense. She wasn't like Santana. When they were fighting, they were fighting to Brittany. She didn't want to be intimate and close, she wanted time apart. Sighing, she pulled away. "San I don't wanna do this," she said firmly yet still trying to be gentle. She didn't want to hurt Santana's feelings but she wasn't in the mood for this.

Santana ignored her and moved her hands up to cup Brittany's breasts. "You'll feel better after," she whispered into her ear, pressing her entire body into Brittany's back. She continued manipulating Brittany's breasts with firm rubs.

Brittany turned around, breaking the embrace. "What's going on with you lately?" she asked with annoyance. She had never seen Santana go through so many moods as she had the past day and half.

Santana grabbed her temples. "Just forget Brittany. I'll do it myself," she yelled angrily meeting her eyes before grabbing her robe and slamming the door shut behind her.

Brittany stared at the closed door with tears in her eyes. She felt them being pulled further and further away from one another. Sighing, she stepped into the shower with a heavy heart.

* * *

><p>Half way through the day, Brittany couldn't take it anymore. She threw the piping bag she was using on the counter and headed back to her office for a break. She shut the door behind her and took a seat at her desk. Sighing, she rested her head in her hands for a few moments just to get her thoughts together. When she was finished with her shower this morning, she was left to an empty house. Santana must have hurried to get the kids dressed before taking them somewhere.<p>

"Knock Knock," Rachel interrupted, while entering the office.

Brittany looked up from her hands. "Hey," she said without her usual enthusiasm.

Rachel noticed right away. "What's wrong Brittany?" she asked, making her way over to her friend to wrap her in a hug.

Brittany held onto Rachel as a few sniffles escaped her. "Nothing," she whimpered into the girl's side.

Rachel hugged her tighter. "Do you need me to call Santana?" Rachel asked, knowing she was really the only one to ever make Brittany feel better. But mentioning her name had only made Brittany cry harder. She let the girl sob for a few minutes before pulling away. "Wait here, I'll be right back," she said with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Brittany buried her face in her arms against her desk and continued to let out everything that had been bothering her the past couple days. She felt as if only minutes had gone by but really a half an hour passed by before her office door opened again.

"Britt," she heard, and she knew the voice better than her own. Leave to Rachel to do what she didn't want. She lifted her head from her arms to see Santana standing there with an equally disturbed expression. "I dropped the kids at my moms," she said while slowly inching her way towards Brittany.

Brittany nodded as she wiped her nose on her shirt sleeve. She knew it was childlike but at the moment she felt it.

Santana took a seat on the edge of her desk in front of her and grabbed her hands. "I'm really sorry I took my anger out on you baby. I wish I could take last night and this morning back," she started while gently rubbing circles into Brittany's hands.

Brittany stared up at Santana with forgiveness in her eyes. "Why were you so angry? I know the Jake thing set you off, but you've been really moody lately," she said without trying to start another argument.

Santana sighed. "I know I have. It's just me working from home is hard because I have to deal with so many emails about stupid stuff that is a waste of my time. With Jefferson letting me take the leave to work from home is a lot different than I'm used to you know, because I'm not dealing with direct cases. I'm basically helping out everyone that took over all my stuff," she said, smiling when Brittany pulled her into her lap.

"I know San I'm sorry. The bakery should calm down soon and I can start being home more," she said feeling guilty. She didn't even think about Santana's work because she usually did it when she was sleeping.

Santana grabbed her face, kissing over her eyelids, down to her nose, before landing on her lips. "I love being home with the kids Britt. The last week has just been a little crazy that's all. And I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You're the only thing that is not stressful to me," she said sincerely, cupping Brittany's cheeks with her hands.

Brittany smiled. "You are to me too," she whispered back, leaning her forehead against Santana's. "I can see if Quinn can take over in the back. Wanna leave the kids with your mom for a while and go home and take a nap?" she asked with an excited smile.

Santana retuned the sediment. "Hell yes," she agreed knowing both of them were worn out and exhausted. Sleep was exactly what they needed to recharge their batteries. Getting up, she grabbed Brittany's hand and pulled her towards the door. "I'm so sorry Britt. I love you so much," she said before kissing her on the lips.

"I'm sorry too," Brittany returned, happy that things were good between them again.

Santana smiled. "Alright. Let's get our sleep on," she cheered, making Brittany laugh.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

"Jake get off of that," Brittany yelled as she ran over to where Jake was jumping up and down on a bed in the furniture store. Santana had finally convinced her to get a twin mattress for Lily's bedroom. The conversation had been long and brutal, but in the end she got her way so she was satisfied. They were in the middle of paying when the clerk pointed towards their son.

Jake only smiled and jumped to the next row of mattresses so his mothers couldn't catch him. He knew he wasn't allowed to jump on his bed at home, but they never said anything about store beds so he figured it wouldn't get him in trouble.

Santana turned from the register counter, narrowing her eyes at Jake's misbehavior. She knew her mom jinxed her when she said one day she would have a child just like herself. She lifted Lily from her stroller and raced over to Brittany. After handing off their daughter, she kneeled on the mattress Jake was jumping on and grabbed him mid—jump. "What did mommy say," she yelled, startling him. Whenever Santana yelled, the impact was much greater on the children then when Brittany would scold them because of the loud stern voice she used. Even the store clerk winced.

Jake's lips immediately began to quiver when she set him down next to Brittany. Sighing, she gave a look to Brittany that said 'take care of this,' before going back to the register. She smiled apologetically to the store clerk and continued to fill out the paperwork. He smiled back, not wanting to get on her bad side.

Meanwhile, Jake shuffled closer to Brittany as they walked back towards the counter. Brittany placed Lily back in her stroller and handed her a Sippy cup full of apple juice. Once Lily was settled, she lifted Jake into her arms, wincing a little at the weight difference.

"You know better than that don't you," she asked quietly, not wanting to embarrass him further. She remembered when she was a child and her parents would yell at her in front of people. It was the worst feeling in the world because she couldn't control the things she was doing. She was always a hyperactive kid and was never diagnosed for ADD or ADHD because her parents refused to believe something was chemically wrong with their daughter. So they felt screaming at her and punishing her would make it stop. Little did they know…

Because Jake was part of her gene pool, she often worried that he would turn out like her. The only time she was truly focused was when she baked, or when she and Santana would spend some quality nighttime time together. Other than that, she was like a live wire. She didn't like when Santana yelled at them, especially Jake because she knew how hard it was for him to control his impulses, but she knew one of them had to, to keep things in order.

"You never said about store beds," Jake defended in a quiet voice that told Santana he knew what he did was wrong but was trying to get out of it. Brittany actually understood what he meant and could relate.

Santana scoffed from her position. She glared at Jake in her typical Santana fashion before handing her credit card over to the man behind the counter.

Jake buried his head into the crook of Brittany's neck to avoid his other mother's disappointment. He closed his eyes hoping sleep would overcome him so his parents forgot about what he had done. He squeezed his arms tighter around her neck as she rocked them back and forth in a comforting matter.

"Okay just sign here and we can set up a delivery date," the man said as he handed Santana the credit card receipt.

Santana signed the paper before turning to Brittany. "Is Friday good Britt?" she asked. It was decided that Brittany would take care of the kids on Fridays so Santana could catch up with her work emails. It still wasn't the same as going into work every day, but she would take what she could get.

Brittany nodded and took a seat on one of the mattresses. Jake was killing her with how tightly he was holding her and his weight. He was almost six years old and would be starting kindergarten in the fall, but she knew she had to take advantage of when he wanted to be held because pretty soon he wouldn't.

"Jake, sit up baby," Brittany said.

He shook his head no into her neck.

Brittany sighed before smiling in Lily's direction. The toddler was just about finished with her juice and sat patiently while swinging her legs up and down for entertainment.

When Santana was finished, she placed the order form in her purse and turned to her family. "Okay we're all set. Let's grab something to eat," she said. She grabbed the handles of the stroller and led her family to the door.

Brittany hoisted Jake into her arms and followed her wife to the car. When they reached Santana's Range Rover, both parents placed their children in their respectful car seats. Santana folded up the stroller and placed it in the truck before climbing in the driver's seat. She watched Brittany stretch outside the car with a smile, knowing their son must have taken a toll on her back and neck. When Brittany entered the car, she sent her a soft smile.

"Where do you wanna eat Britt?" she asked.

Brittany rolled her neck in a circle as she contemplated what she was in the mood for. She knew they were limited on places because both Lily and Jake had short attention spans. They needed a kid friendly place.

Santana waited patiently for her answer, tapping her manicured fingers against the steering wheel in a drum like way. She eyed her children in the backseat through the rear view mirror, watching as they poked and slapped one another with antagonizing eyes. She whipped her head around and pointing her finger at both of them. "Knock it off," she yelled. The more time she spent with them, the more frustrated she got. The past months of being a stay at home mom were quickly taking a toll on her. She loved her children, but she wanted to do more than clean up messes and cook. She wanted to go back to work full-time and be the great lawyer she knew she was, to have more of a purpose. She felt like she couldn't tell her wife though. Brittany had finally gotten back on track and she didn't want to screw that up.

Brittany saw that Santana was wearing thin. The kids had been acting out all morning. If it wasn't one of them, it was both and she knew Santana was minutes away from exploding. She gently grabbed Santana's hand in her own and rubbed it. "Let's just go home San. I'll cook and they can play in the backyard," she said softly.

Santana met her wife's eyes with a deep sigh. Nodding, she squeezed Brittany's hand before putting the car in reverse. To keep the kids quiet, Brittany put the kids' jamboree CD on and both she and Santana held their heads with pain as they listen to whiny children singing the latest pop songs for what seemed like the millionth time.

* * *

><p>Santana rested her head in her hands as she reread the email in front of her. Quinn and her boys were over to swim in the backyard which was located right behind her office. When they had the house built, she never thought having the office in the back of the house would be a distraction, but it has proven her wrong on more than one occasion. She looked from her email to the window behind her. Smiling, she laughed at Quinn's boys and Jake splashing in the shallow end of the pool. Quinn held Lily's hands, pulling her gently around the pool with a smile, and Brittany sat at the steps with only her feet in. Sighing, she turned back to her work.<p>

"This sucks," she whispered, wanting nothing more to be outside with her friend and family. She glanced back out, just in time to see Brittany shed her cover-up, showing off her tone legs and dancer physique. Although she was in what would be considered a 'motherly' bathing suit, Santana still drooled at the sight and wanted nothing more than to rip it off of her.

"Focus Santana, Focus," she told herself, shaking her head of the fantasy coming about in her mind. But before she could even get back to the email, a new distraction came about; the doorbell.

"Jesus," she yelled as she pushed back from her desk chair. Sighing, she headed down the hallway to the front door. "Yes?" she asked as she swung it open.

"Delivery," a man of Hispanic decent said cheerfully, pointing behind him towards the mattress truck.

Santana tilted her head back with a sigh. "Right, um hold on, let me get my wife," she said and gently closed the door.

She rushed to the sliding glass door in the kitchen and stuck her head out. "Britt, the mattress is here," she called out quickly before going back in her office.

Brittany turned her head from the float she was lounging on. "What did she say?" she asked Quinn who looked equally confused. Brittany shrugged her shoulders and leaned back further into the float. If it were important, Santana would come out again.

Meanwhile Santana had just begun to respond to the email she had read a thousand times only to be interrupted once again by the doorbell. "You've got to be kidding me," she whispered loudly. Getting up once again, she went to the front door.

"Miss it's kind of hot out here," the man said trying to be as polite as possible.

Santana opened the door wider. "Sorry come in. My wife was supposed to handle this. Um, do I need to sign something or do you just bring it in?" she asked, trying to rush the man along so she could back to work.

The man handed her a piece of paper to sign. "Just sign here and show me where to put it," he said with a happiness that most people wouldn't be able to possess. He wiped the sweat from his brow and took the paper back. "Alrighty, let me go and get it," he said, smiling at her before walking back to the truck.

Santana decided to try Brittany once again. She quickly ran to the back door and peaked out. She frowned at the sight of her wife floating in the pool like Paris Hilton. "Britt I said the mattress guy is here," she yelled out in a whinny but also annoyed tone.

Brittany lifted her sunglasses from her face. "I didn't hear what you said," she explained before adding, "Did you let them in?" she asked, not understanding what the big commotion was.

Santana's eyebrows rose. "Yes I let him in. I'm trying to do my goddamn work Brittany. You were supposed to take care of this," she yelled, not noticing that everyone was watching them argue back and forth.

Brittany sighed as if getting out of the pool were a hassle and swung her feet around so they hung off the float. She kicked her legs to bring her to the edge of the pool.

Santana didn't appreciate the attitude and held her hand up. "No princess, you relax. I'll handle it," she yelled before slamming the door closed.

Brittany stared after her with a hurt expression.

Quinn, being the good friend she was, decided to break the tension. "Come on boys, let's have a race," she said with a fake excited tone to distract the kids. "Me and Lily against you three," she said.

Brittany placed her sunglasses back on her face and leaned back. If Santana wanted to be a bitch, she could be too. She ignored the look Quinn shot in her direction and spent the remainder of the afternoon replaying Santana and her confrontation over and over in her head.

* * *

><p>Brittany had only been at work for forty-five minutes before all hell broke loose. The main oven had been having some trouble for quite some time now, and this was the morning that it finally died. The three friends tried to sell what was already made, but they kept getting requests for things they didn't have. Brittany had two cakes that were supposed to be delivered by six o'clock pm for a retirement party, and she had no clue how she was going to get it done. Her oven at home didn't fit the amount the one at work did and she needed numerous amounts of layers.<p>

"This is ridiculous. I told you guys were should just buy a new one. What are we going to do?" Rachel yelled while running around as if the world was ending.

Brittany held her hands on her hips, just watching the commotion in front of her. This was the last thing she needed. She promised Santana that she would try and work less in the summer so she could get more things done and here she was without the main source she needed to finish her work.

Quinn rolled her eyes from the phone. She was on hold with the company, trying to see how quick they could get a replacement. "Rachel shush, it's gonna be fine. We're just gonna have to use our own ovens for right now," she said calmly.

Brittany narrowed her eyes. "Well I've got to get home now if I even have a chance at finishing these cakes. Quinn call me the second you hear anything," Brittany said while going around the kitchen collecting ingredients and tools she would need.

Both girls nodded and Brittany packed her car up with supplies and headed home.

"Lily what did you do?" Santana yelled, walking in family room to find marker scribbled all over the wall. "Jake I told you no markers for her," she screamed, grabbing the non-toxic weapon from the little girl.

Jake looked up from his drawing, not having a clue what his mother was talking about. "I didn't," he said innocently, holding up his crayon to prove his point.

Santana looked to both children, having it up to her head with frustration. "Take your sister in the play room Jake while I clean this up," she said, dismissing them with a wave of the hand. She looked at the wall and took a deep sigh. "We're gonna have to repaint," she said, shaking her head at the sight.

Before she could distress more, Brittany rushed into the house carrying pans and utensils. She sped by Santana, not even noticing the wall and placed the stuff on the clean kitchen counter. Santana narrowed her eyes, before following Brittany into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" she asked, still upset about their previous encounter with the mattress.

Brittany barely looked up from what she was doing. "The oven finally broke to where we can't fix it and I have two specialty cakes to make for tonight. I have to do them here, I'm sorry," she said quickly.

Santana felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. "I just spent the entire morning cleaning the kitchen Britt. You're not exactly the tidiest baker and we don't have a staff to clean up after you," she said, trying not to sound bitter but couldn't help it.

Brittany looked up from measuring the flour. "I'll clean it up San," she said, gesturing with her eyes for Santana to leave. She didn't like when people hovered over her while she was baking.

Santana sighed loudly.

"What?" Brittany asked incredulously. She couldn't believe how much they were getting on each other's nerves lately.

"This house is a fucking pig pen, that's what. There's marker on the walls, piss stained sheets, toys in every corner. Why bother cleaning? It just ends up the same anyway," she yelled, shaking her head in disgust.

Brittany stared at Santana with worried eyes. She had been so irritated lately by every little thing. She didn't know what was going on, but it was starting to affect their marriage. They barely said anything nice to one another lately and the only time they talked was to complain about something or other. Sighing, she placed her measuring cup on the counter and walked to Santana.

"Why are you so angry all the time San?" she asked, gently cupping her wife's cheek.

Santana turned away from the loving gesture. "I'm not. Listen, my boss called this morning and asked if I would be able to come back any time soon. Things are shot to hell there and they need me. I told him I would have to discuss it with you, but I can't really say no. I mean that's our main income and he's given me enough time off," she said in what seemed like one long sentence.

Brittany ignored the dig about who made more money and stepped away from Santana to process what was said. She knew working full time was helping with her depression. She was so busy all of the time that she barely had a moment to think about anything to depress her. Sighing, she looked at the clock on the stove.

"I mean what do you want me to say San, I don't really have a choice in the matter do I?" she asked and walked back around the counter to finish measuring ingredients for her cakes.

Santana stared after her, clenching her bottom lip with her teeth. "I didn't say that," she said softly.

"You didn't have to. I know you make the money for our family. My business is just a hobby to keep me from having a meltdown right," she asked bitterly, not caring if what she was false.

Santana narrowed her eyes. "I didn't say that Brittany," she yelled, "Stop putting words in mouth," she argued.

Brittany sighed, wiping the bangs from her face with her arm. She looked towards Santana and met her stare. Both stood in silence waiting for the other one to speak. Finally Santana shook her head in aggravation. "Never mind," she said dismissively, before walking out.

Brittany tried to remain calm and tear free as she started her work. She was tired of them arguing, but didn't know what to do anymore.

* * *

><p>"The guy said the soonest he can get one installed is Monday," Quinn said later that day. She had been on the phone all morning with the company trying to get somewhere.<p>

Brittany sighed. She had just finished icing the cakes and was about to start the designs. It was nearing three o'clock and she was rushing around trying to get everything done. She hadn't seen Santana since their fight, but she had heard her and the kids leave the house around one.

"I guess that'll have to do. Listen Quinn I know this probably isn't a good time to bring this up, but Santana's gonna need to go back to work soon full time. Do you think we can maybe hire someone to take my place for a bit? I mean I could put Lily in Daycare, but I really don't want to," she said, knowing Santana felt the same way.

"I guess Britt. You can't just do the specialty cakes from home though? It's gonna cost us to hire a decorator," Quinn said, not wanting lose any more money than they already have.

"I don't know Quinn. The house is a disaster right now just from doing these two cakes. I don't think that's a good idea," she said, not wanting to upset Quinn, but she already knew what the outcome would be if she worked from home again. Sighing, she held her head.

"Britt I realize you and San want to bring up the kids on your own. But you knew what this business entailed when we bought it. I mean I had my boys in daycare when they were young and they had a great experience. We really can't afford to hire on someone to replace you B," she said both professionally and friendly.

Brittany shook her head. "I don't want Lily in daycare Quinn. I don't know. Let me talk to San and figure some stuff out. Can Puck bring the truck by later to pick these cakes up?" she asked.

"Yeah I'll send him," she said, knowing not to push Brittany on the daycare subject.

"Alright I'll talk to you later," Brittany said.

"Alright bye," Quinn answered.

Brittany stood at the counter baffled. What were they going to do?

* * *

><p>When Santana walked into the house that night, she didn't expect the wall to be fixed or the kitchen cleaned. She ushered Jake up the stairs to get his pajamas on and laid a sleeping Lily on the family room couch before going into the kitchen.<p>

"How did you fix the wall?" she asked, not knowing where to begin with her wife who was sitting at the kitchen island with her head in her hands.

Brittany looked up from her position. She had been thinking for hours upon hours on how they could work out their jobs. "Paint," she said just above a whisper. "There was some extra in the garage," she continued solemnly.

Santana smiled. "Look Britt, I'm sorry I flipped out on you before, it wasn't right," she said while walking behind her. She gently leaned into Brittany's backside, leaning her head over Brittany's shoulder to meet her eyes.

Brittany looked up at Santana with confusion. Yes, she didn't want them to be angry with one another, but no she wasn't going to accept Santana's apology. She had put her through hell the last week and a simple sorry wasn't going to change how she felt.

Santana noticed Brittany's hesitation and pushed herself back. She took a seat on the stool next to her wife and turned her body to face Brittany.

"I know sorry doesn't make everything alright Britt. I just don't even know where to begin," she said softly, gently lifting Brittany's hand to hold in her own.

Brittany sighed deeply. "What are we going to do? I tried to get Quinn to hire someone to replace me but she basically called me selfish and told me to put Lily in daycare. I don't want to. I don't want some stranger raising our kid," she rambled, but Santana held her free hand up to stop her.

"Britt we don't have to put Lily in daycare if you don't want to," she said, hoping to ease her discomfort.

Brittany shook her head. "Well then how are we going to make it work? You are miserable working from home and I can't possibly work from home because it is complete chaos," she said.

Santana lifted her hand to cup Brittany's cheek. "My mom," she whispered excitedly.

Brittany narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked confused.

Santana chuckled. "I just came from my mom and dad's. I kind of vented to her about our argument," she started, receiving a not so pleased look from Brittany. She smiled apologetically. "Anyway, she offered to watch Lily and take Jake to school Monday through Friday for us. She'll come by early in the mornings and make sure they're fed and dressed, and drop Jake off. Then she said she'll either take Lily back to her house or she'll hang here until she needs to get Jake," she said with a proud smile, as if she solved the world's biggest problem.

Brittany's face dropped. "What?" seemed to be the only response she had.

Santana didn't understand the shocked look on Brittany's face. "Britt this is a perfect plan. The kids will be with family and both you and I can still have our careers," she said.

Brittany shook her head. "I don't want your mom to have to raise our kids San. One of us should be with them," she argued.

Santana sighed. "She's not raising our kids Brittany. She's babysitting," she said with little patience left in her voice.

"Whatever Santana. Looks like you got it all figured out," she said while rising from her seat. She was about to walk out when Santana's voice stopped her.

"What the hell Britt. What is your problem?" she yelled.

Brittany shook her head from the doorway, not even bothering to turn towards her wife. "Nothing," she mumbled before continuing her way out.

Santana sat there speechless.

* * *

><p>"Why is mommy mad?" Jake asked Santana the next morning.<p>

She and Brittany hadn't said one word to one another and Brittany had spent the night in Lily's room cramped on her new bed. Santana had wanted to go in and tell her to just come to bed, but she didn't want to wake Lily.

"Mommy's fine sweetheart," Santana answered with a pat to his head as she buzzed around the kitchen preparing breakfast. She had been in the middle of making pancakes for Jake when her boss called and asked if she could come in. She told him to give her an hour and she immediately called her mom to come over because she knew Brittany had to go into the bakery. She was trying to finish up so her mom didn't have to worry about breakfast.

"No she's not," he grumbled back to himself as he traced the outline of the placemat in front of him.

Santana ignored the comment and continued to pour batter onto the frying pan. She kept glancing at the clock, wondering when Brittany would bring Lily down. She knew the toddler had to have been up because Lily rarely slept in.

"Are they ready yet?" Jake whined, bouncing his leg up and down on the ledge of the chair he was sitting on.

Before Santana could answer, the doorbell rang.

Jake jumped up from his seat. "Grandma," he yelled excitedly, running towards the door.

Santana held up the spatula. "Look through the glass before you open the door Jake," she yelled, not being able to monitor him.

Santana's eyes nearly bugged from their sockets when she caught Brittany entering from the stairway. Her hair looked like a bird's nest and her eyes were swollen and red. She didn't even glance Santana's way as she placed Lily in her booster seat at the table.

"Good morning family," Mrs. Lopez said cheerfully as she entered the kitchen holding Jake.

Brittany's eyes widened, not expecting her mother-in-law to be in her kitchen so early in the morning. She briefly met Santana's eyes, sending her a what the heck look.

"I got called in this morning and I know you have to go in so I called my mom for sort of a trial run you know," she said, trying to remain positive. She knew she through Brittany for a loop, but she felt if she forced her into the situation, it might help. That was Brittany's problem, she over thought.

Brittany looked to her smiling mother-in-law, returning the gesture as politely as she could. She was not ready for this. Sure, she trusted Santana's parents, but she didn't want to burden them. Sighing, she nodded. "I better go get ready," she said softly. She kissed Lily's forehead before heading to the stairs.

Santana quickly plated the pancakes and set them on the kitchen table. "Eat mom. I'm gonna talk to Britt real quick," she said, ushering her mother towards the table.

* * *

><p>Brittany splashed cold water on her face, hoping the coolness would soothe her aching eyelids. She had been up all night being kicked and slapped in the face by Lily. The bed truly was made for one. And to top that, her mind was racing all night to be able to shut down. Reaching for a towel, she patted her face gently.<p>

"Britt," Santana interrupted gently.

Brittany jumped, pulling the towel from her face. She saw Santana in the mirror looking like a dog with its tail between its legs. If she weren't so exhausted she might have laughed.

"Baby look I know I dropped the mom thing on you without discussing it and that was wrong. But I think this will be good for us right now. It's not permanent baby. Just till we can figure something better out," she said while slowly approaching her opened arms.

Brittany fell into her embrace, too exhausted to keep the fight going any longer. She buried her head in the nook of Santana's neck and sighed softly as they rocked back and forth. "Lily's bed sucks," she mumbled irritably, smiling at the chuckle from her wife.

"Well our bed sucks without you in it," she whispered back while kissing the side of Brittany's head. She pulled Brittany back a bit to meet her eyes. Both looked intensely at one another and eventually their lips met in a slow soft kiss.

"We can give your mom a try," Brittany said after a pause before burying her head back into Santana. She just wanted to be held as long as she could.

Santana gripped onto Brittany, softly running her hands up and down her back. "Thank you Britt," she whispered.


End file.
